


A Shinobi Among Monsters

by euphoricimage



Category: Naruto, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Dimension Travel, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:40:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 128,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26054341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/euphoricimage/pseuds/euphoricimage
Summary: Naruto was dying. Kurama had a jutsu to save him. The only problem? It didn't quite work as intended. And now Naruto is reborn in a world where gods and monsters roam the lands. Thankfully, this time around, he has a mother with the most striking silver eyes the same color as the moon.
Comments: 72
Kudos: 242
Collections: Bunch of fics I'll keep reading forever!!!





	1. Chapter 1

_What makes a legend a legend?_

* * *

A smirk made it onto Naruto's lips as Kaguya was finally defeated. Sealed away so securely that escape was impossible.

They had won.

But at a price.

"Naruto, damnit, stay with us! Sakura, do something!"

Oh, look, the teme showed emotion for once. Naruto honestly hadn't thought he would ever see Sasuke display any outward emotion again. It's nice, in a way, to see that he still cared.

He's a little too late though.

Sakura's hand glowed green as sweat trickled down her forehead. "I don't know! None of my techniques are responding!"

Kaguya's final attack, all of her hatred and rage condensed into one devastating strike, had hit Naruto square in the chest. Her last revenge. A goddess's wrath.

* * *

_A normal man must first have a dream._

* * *

**Naruto. You're going to live. I don't know how, but something will happen. You hear me? You're going to live. I command you to.**

_Sorry, Kurama, but I think that's it for me._

Kurama growled. An angry sound that couldn't cover up the worry in his voice. **You're not going to leave me. I refuse to let you leave me.**

 _Always so demanding_ , Naruto smiled internally.

"What's wrong with Naruto?" His dear sensei. Kakashi-sensei. Naruto could hear the desperation in his voice, and he could feel the agony Kakashi-sensei must be going through.

Kakashi was going to lose one of his precious people again.

**That's right. If you die, that brat is probably going to sink into a depression and be angsty and edgy for the next decade. So you better not die.**

* * *

_By taking action to accomplish that dream, a man becomes a hero._

* * *

Sakura despairingly gazed up at Kakashi. "Nothing. There's _nothing_ wrong with Naruto that I can detect. Cell degeneration, organ failure, necrosis, psychosis, haemorrhaging, psychological breakdown. . . there's nothing I can find. Naruto is healthy, both physically and mentally. He should be fine."

"But he's dying."

"He's dying."

"He's not allowed to die," and suddenly, Kakashi was in Naruto's face. It was so odd, seeing both of Kakashi's grey eyes filled with concern. "Naruto. Can you hear me? Can you respond?"

Naruto tried to open his mouth. He tried to do something, anything. But nothing worked.

**Naruto, I'm telling you, I can't heal you** _**if** _ _**there's nothing to heal.** _

Naruto could feel Kurama's chakra coursing through his system, looking for any wounds, anything that could be fixed, and finding nothing.

* * *

_When a hero achieves greatness and becomes known throughout the entire world, he becomes a legend. Someone written down in eternity. Someone who has bled to reach_ _greatness._

* * *

"Not again not again not again!" Kakashi was wild now. He jerked away from Naruto, hands flying to grab his head, eyes scrunching shut. "Think, you failure, _think!"_

"Kakashi-sensei. . ." Sakura reached out and touched Kakashi's shoulder. He ignored her, eyes still closed as he tried to think of some way, some technique to save Naruto.

"Hn. I guess once dobe, always a dobe." Sasuke's goad once might have enraged Naruto, forcing Naruto to push past his limits to punch the teme one more time.

But now, Naruto couldn't do anything.

_Don't worry, Kurama. We've won. That's all I care about._

**But that's not what** _**I** _ **care about.**

_I know. I'm sorry._

"His life force is almost gone now," Sakura had given up, her hands fluttering down helplessly to her side. "I can't do anything."

"Dobe, if you die now, then I'll become Hokage."

 _That_ was enough to give Naruto the power to open his mouth. "Teme. . ."

* * *

_Naruto Uzumaki was a hero. Naruto Uzumaki was a legend. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the Elemental Nations would never, ever forget the name "Naruto Uzumaki."_

* * *

The three were on him in an instant. "Naruto! What's wrong? How do you feel?"

Naruto smiled. He didn't have much time left. He didn't have any hope that he'll be saved either. Kaguya's strike was almighty and all-powerful. The attack almost felt. . . alien, in a way. Naruto knew he wouldn't survive. "I'm not going to. . . make it."

Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes. "Naruto, don't leave us. Konoha needs you - _we_ need you."

"Don't be like Rin don't be like Obito don't be like Minato Naruto please please please just live _just live JUST LIVE!_ " Kakashi's hands twitched madly, as if trying to form hand seals but not knowing which hand seals to form to save Naruto.

"Hn. If you die now, then I will be the unilateral winner of our rivalry." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hand, gripping it tightly. "Dying now is the same as giving up. _Are you going to give up?"_

Naruto tried to laugh, but could only manage a feeble chuckle instead. "Up. . . to you now. Protect Konoha."

Sasuke hesitated only for a moment before nodding. "I will. I promise."

Naruto smiled, his blue eyes bright and accepting of his fate. "Love. . . you guys."

And his eyes closed and his heart inexplicably and unexplainably stopped and he didn't hear Sakura finally letting out her sobs and Sasuke shutting his eyes in pain and Kakashi making an inhuman noise filled with suffering and anguish.

* * *

_And one funny thing about legends? One funny, peculiar, miraculous thing?_

* * *

**Naruto. Hey. You dead? Puny humans. Such fragile lives. Forcing me to use** _**that** _ **jutsu to save you.**

* * *

_Legends never die._

* * *

XxX

The moon shone brightly in the sky. Her chariot was on autopilot, swiftly moving across the sky and providing her with enough light to track her prey.

A hellhound. 38 meters. Currently underneath a tree.

Artemis nocked an arrow, a practiced motion that she has done countless times over the centuries.

She was alone that night. Her Hunters were back at the camp, preparing dinner. She had left them behind.

The Goddess of the Hunt enjoyed a solo hunt now and then. Only her and her prey.

Artemis's eyes scanned the forest and calculated all of the angles in a split second. Then she let the silver arrow fly - but not in the direction of the hellhound..

She watched in satisfaction as the arrow streaked across the forest, ricocheting off the trees until it entered the hellhound with a sickening sound. It crashed down, howling at the moon in the sky, before disintegrating into dust and returning to the Pit.

Magical arrows were quite fun to use.

Her feet not making a single sound, she calmly strode over to the pile of dust and a hellhound tooth - the spoils of war.

She didn't have much use for a hellhound tooth, but she can find one. If she killed something, she refused to let it go to waste. A hellhound tooth can be made into an arrow, or sold, or given to some nature spirit to make a necklace.

Then, for the first time in centuries, Artemis did something that made her literally gasp in shock.

She stumbled.

A tiny gasp left her small form as she immediately stood still, looking down at her body.

Had she just. . . stumbled? In a forest under the moon?! Impossible.

A shudder suddenly tore through her body, causing her to spasm somewhat and almost losing control of her mortal form. Silver light began being emitted from her left side, near her midriff. The glow lit up the entire forest, scaring away all of the wildlife.

Artemis wasn't in pain. She knew pain, and this wasn't it. It was a foreign feeling, one that she didn't really have the words to describe.

It was almost as if there was something ripping away at her very essence itself.

And then it was over. The silver light died down and the feeling faded away. Artemis scanned her being. No harm was done.

Then she directed her gaze towards the ground and froze. There, lying innocently on the forest floor, was a clump of silver light with bits of orange and red intermixed in.

As she watched, the light coalesced into a boy around three or four years old.

Artemis cautiously bent down, examining him. His hair was the exact same shade of auburn as hers. His skin tone was the exact same as hers. He had whisker marks on his cheeks.

The boy opened his eyes, and Artemis was met with the same silver-grey eyes she herself saw whenever she stared into her reflection.

"Who are you?" she asked in wonder, reaching out to cup the boy's cheek. He flinched away like a wounded animal. Artemis quickly withdrew her hand, instead observing him in fascination from a distance.

Who was - no, _what_ was he?

The child simply looked at her with wide silver eyes before fainting.

Artemis stared down at him. Then she looked down at herself, touching her stomach at where the silver light had originally come from.

_There's no way. . ._

Artemis laid her hand on the child's forehead and sent forth a pulse of her divine power.

Resonance occured.

Artemis drew back in shock. Her mouth fell open, another thing that hasn't happened in centuries. Although there's a very, very good reason for that.

Her divine power had just resonated with the divinity within the boy. The only way for this to happen is if the two divinities are _exactly_ the same, which is possible in only one scenario: a parent and their child.

Was. . . was she the mother of this boy?!

Artemis shook her head in denial, but the facts were clear.

He had her hair. He had her eyes. He had her divine power.

He was her child.

But how was that even possible - Artemis grasped her stomach. She had felt her essence being ripped away. Theoretically, that essence could become a child, similar to how Athena can have children by combining her brain essence with the father's.

Artemis narrowed her eyes. In the silver light - her essence - she had seen bits of orange and red. She didn't know what it was or where it came from, but it must've been the thing her essence had combined with to create this child.

Which meant, no matter how much she _hated_ the idea, this child was hers. She didn't know how, she didn't know why, but she is now a mother.

She stared contemplatively down at the boy still sleeping on the forest floor. What should she do now?

XxX

"Yo yo yo Kurama! What have you done?!"

For once, Naruto wasn't in the dark damp sewer of his mind. Instead, he was in a forest. It was dark out, and the moon was shining brightly. He ignored the change of scenery. There were more important matters at hand.

In front of him, Kurama was curled into a tight ball. **Go away.**

Naruto shook his head. "Not until you explain! I thought that I had died! I was ready to see Mom and Dad and Jiraiya and Neji and Jiji and everyone else again! So why did I wake up in a forest with a young girl looking down at me?"

 **Jutsu gone wrong.** Kurama yawned before curling even tighter into himself. **Meant to reincarnate us two into our younger selves.**

Naruto blinked. "So. . . basically you were trying to time travel?"

**I thought I could. I was wrong. I. . . messed up.**

"Kurama. . . where the hell are we?"

 **. . . would you believe me when I say we might be in a different dimension?** Kurama ventured.

"Oh dear Kami what have you done?" Naruto paced around.

 **I saved your life.** Kurama glared. **Be grateful, brat.**

"Yeah, thanks, but _how?_ And why does my body feel different?"

Kurama refused to meet Naruto's eyes. **I meant to send us into the past and meld our souls with our past in the space-time transit, the jutsu. . . failed, I guess. And in this dimension, we don't exist, so my jutsu automatically tried to create a new body, since our souls can't take over another person's body. The jutsu doesn't work like that.**

"Please, stop saying 'take over body,' it makes us sound like Orochimaru," Naruto muttered.

Kurama ignored him. **However, my chakra alone wasn't enough to create a body for us. So that power was borrowed from somebody. Presumably from the girl you met in the forest.**

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

 **If Bijuu could create human bodies whenever they want, then Orochimaru would've been a** _ **lot**_ **more interested in us. But we can't; my chakra wasn't enough, so the jutsu automatically reached out to the nearest being. Naruto, I'm saying that I combined essences with her to save your life.** At Naruto's confused look, Kurama sighed heavily. **I know I'm asking for a lot here, but I need you to** _ **think**_ **for once.**

Naruto opened his mouth to protest but Kurama interrupted before he could. **Think of it like this. Bijuus are essentially beings of chakra. If two Bijuus, say, Matatabi and Isobu, combined chakra, then that would form another Bijuu.**

"Wait, seriously? It works like that?"

**No, it doesn't, but you get the idea. The same thing happened to you. Parts of my essence combined with parts of hers was enough to create a body for us to settle in and sustain your life.**

"Sooooooo am I still human, or what?" Naruto looked down at his hands, half expecting to see orange fur growing.

 **You're no longer a human. To tell you the truth, I don't know what you are. The girl next to you had no chakra. But I still sensed** _ **something**_ **in her. Which is why I said our** _ **essences**_ **combined and not our chakra.** Kurama growled frustratedly. **I've never seen anything like her before. She's not human.**

"Well, we are in a different dimension, so it makes sense," Naruto shrugged. "Why am I younger though?"

**Because you were** _**reborn** _ **. Although you're right, you should be a baby. I haven't the faintest idea why you're 4 years old. But Naruto, do you understand what that means?**

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I have a new body in a new dimension."

**Foolish brat. Technically. . . that girl is your mother.**

Naruto didn't respond. His brain had ceased all functions.

**. . . Naruto, you okay there? I just saved your life. Please don't make me save it again.**

Naruto broke out of the trance. "What do you mean she's my mother?!"

 **You** _ **died**_ **, Naruto, and then you were** _ **reborn**_ **. You were conceived from her essence. That makes you her child. It's not a very difficult concept to understand.** Kurama's tails flicked around in annoyance before they suddenly became deathly still. **And you know something, Naruto?**

"What?" Naruto's eyes grew wide. "No. . . you don't mean. . ."

Kurama smirked. **Indeed. You were also created using my chakra. Which means that. . .**

"Don't say it," Naruto whispered.

**Naruto, I am your father.**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOU'RE MY PARTNER DON'T MAKE THIS WEIRD! STOP IT!"

Kurama chuckled. **In all seriousness though, she is, within all rights and purposes, your mother. Just look at yourself. I don't know** _ **what**_ **she is, but she must be strong if her essence can overcome my Bijuu chakra.**

Naruto tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

**Just look at yourself.**

There was a small stream nearby. Naruto suspiciously regarded Kurama before ambling over to the stream and looked down. His reflection stared back up at him.

"What in the Sage's name am I looking at here?"

Naruto was looking at himself in the stream. But it was not the same "himself" the day before. His hair was now auburn. His eyes were silver. His skin tone has changed.

The only thing that he had kept was his whisker birthmarks and his facial structure.

 **Her essence's. . . influence, I would assume. You inherited her physical traits. Do not, however, for a second think that she may be more powerful than me. Her essence is more dominant than mine, which is why it manifested in your body, but that does** _ **not**_ **mean that she can beat me in a fight.** Kurama sniffed imperiously. **It's like your human genetics. A dominant gene doesn't make it more powerful than a recessive one.**

Naruto sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Do I still have chakra?"

 **Of course you do. Who do you take me for?** Kurama scoffed. **A Naruto without chakra wouldn't be Naruto at all. It would be like Kakashi without his porn.**

"Right, right," Naruto smacked his forehead suddenly. "Damnit!"

Kurama's eyes flashed in alarm. **What is it? Do you feel pain? Is Kaguya's attack still affecting you?**

Naruto groaned in despair. "No, it's not that. I forgot to ask Kakashi-sensei to take off his mask. And now I guess I'll never know what he's hiding."

 **Idiot! I thought that you were actually in trouble for a second!** Kurama tucked his head back inside his ball of fur. **I think that's it for me. That jutsu took a lot of energy. I need sleep. See you in a few years. Stay safe, Naruto.**

"Good night, Kurama - hold up, what did you just say? A few _years?!_ "

But Kurama's eyes had already closed and his breathing had evened out.

"Kurama!"

No response. Kurama was fast asleep.

Naruto sat down, suddenly feeling very tired. He had just fought a goddess and had literally died and been reborn in a new dimension.

But more importantly, all of his bonds, all of his precious people, they were lost to him. Only Kurama remained. He'd never see Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, Tenzo, Sai, and everyone else ever again.

Shinobi Rule #25 states that a shinobi must never show his tears during a mission. Naruto has always broken that rule, both during and outside of missions.

And now, in his own mind with nobody else around, all alone, surrounded by loneliness once more, Naruto broke that rule again.

XxX

Artemis was shook out of her thoughts by the sight before her. Was the child crying? Artemis leaned closer even though she didn't really need to. Her eyesight was enough to see the individual specks of dust miles away.

He was crying. He made no noise, but tears silently flowed out from under his eyelids.

Artemis bit her lip. Then she placed her hand over his. A silver glow suddenly lit up over his body, the warmth comforting him. Slowly, the tears stopped.

This boy - no. He wasn't just a boy.

Artemis may not like it, but he was her child. He was conceived out of her essence, her being.

She can't let information of any of this leak out to the other gods and goddesses. That would be a disaster. All of Olympus would be in an uproar, perhaps even a bigger one than when they had found out Aphrodite was cheating with Ares. A male child of Artemis would be regarded as an abomination.

Even worse, there would be numerous dangers and threats against her child. He would probably attract more monsters than even a child of the Big Three. After all, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades have had children before. Their children, while strong, are nothing new. But a child of Artemis? New, unique, and never seen before. He would attract an unprecedented amount of trouble.

Artemis didn't really know what she was going to do yet, but one thing she knows she _doesn't_ want to do is to bury her child.

Where can he be safe though? Not with the Hunters, definitely not. Artemis trusted them, but not with something as important and paramount as this. He was her _child_.

Camp Half-Blood - Artemis chuckled at her joke. Sending him to Camp Half-Blood was just _asking_ for him to be discovered and killed.

There was only one option left. It wasn't much of an option at all, but at this point, she'll take what she can get.

Still cradling the child in her arms, Artemis stood up and summoned her moon chariot. Making sure to mask the boy's presence, Artemis took the reins and commanded the chariot to take off. She went fast, faster than she had ever gone before.

Poseidon would be irritated, since her moon chariot affected the ocean's tides, but he'll just have to deal with it. Artemis didn't care about that right now. Instead, she was mentally preparing herself for the encounter to come.

She glanced down at the sleeping child. He looked so much like her.

XxX

Artemis knocked on the door once, bracing herself.

She stood in front of a luxurious mansion out in the middle of nowhere. There were numerous cars, all rare and expensive, parked on the marble driveway. Water steadily flowed in the crystal fountain.

The door opened to reveal a guy around 17 or 18 years old. Blonde hair tied back in a man bun, blue eyes, a stunning smile. He was wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, jeans, and loafers.

This man was called handsome by many, although Artemis didn't see how. He was also very, very annoying.

Apollo grinned at Artemis. "What's up, sis? Do you want to hear my latest haiku about you?"

Typically, Artemis would've just shot him a cold glare to shut him up. But this was not a typical situation.

Apollo took her silence as a confirmation. "A moon without sun - "

"I need your help."

" - is air without - wait, what?!" Apollo blinked. "Did you just say you needed my help?"

For good measure, his hand lit up, a bright golden color, and he placed it against his ears, presumably to clean out the nonexistent earwax.

Artemis sighed. "Why do you always have to be so dramatic about things?"

Apollo stared at her. "Because you've never asked me for help before. Favors, yes, but never outright help." His gaze traveled down and finally noticed the child that was being carried by a wolf besides her. "Sis, did you kidnap a kid?"

Artemis hesitated. "Can we take this inside?"

"Yeah, come on in," Apollo held the door open for Artemis. She stepped through, beckoning the wolf to follow her. The wolf was a temporary creation. The boy was still fast asleep on the wolf's back, face pressed into the soft fur.

Artemis stopped in her tracks, in awe of the mansion's interior.

It was normal. There wasn't a grand hall, there weren't chandeliers hanging down from the ceiling, there weren't solid gold statues of Apollo scattered all throughout. Not even one statue.

Instead, they were in a normal sized living room. Couches with white leather, a violin stand in the middle, a television floating in midair that Artemis recognized as the latest Hephaestus TV model. It was. . . homely.

Artemis turned to Apollo in confusion. "What is this?"

Apollo shrugged. "This is my man cave. It's my place to relax and chill. I don't need statues of myself in every corner of the room for that."

Artemis was at a rare loss of words. "I didn't think you would enjoy a place as. . . modest as this. I never knew."

"A man never reveals _all_ his secrets," Apollo winked. "I really like this place."

Artemis picked up the child and set him down faceup on the couch. The wolf, its duty finished, faded away in a burst of silver light. "It's nice."

"Of course it is. Feel free to drop by whenever you want. So what help do you need oh holy Zeus almighty who in the Pits of Tartarus is that?!" Apollo's grinning face had transformed into one of absolute horror when he finally saw the features of the sleeping boy on the couch.

In a literal flash, Apollo was kneeling down, closely examining the sleeping child.

"Artemis," he breathed, "What have you done? Have you lost your mind?"

Artemis rolled her eyes and smacked him in the back of the head.

"OW! What was that for?" Apollo rubbed his head but his attention was still solely focused on the child.

"It's not what you're thinking," Artemis scowled.

Apollo pointed down at the boy's sleeping form. "Is he your child?"

Artemis hesitated, refusing to meet Apollo's eyes. ". . . yes, he is."

Apollo stood up and whirled around to face her. His face was deathly pale. "Artemis, what - "

"I don't know where he came from," Artemis interrupted, crossing her arms. "Will you listen to me?"

"Speak," the serious expression was back on Apollo's face, and this time, it wasn't an act. "Tell me _everything_."

"I was out hunting alone tonight. A hellhound. Easy enough to kill. When I was walking over to pick up the spoils of war, my stomach began emitting silver light. It felt as if my essence was being ripped from me."

Apollo's eyes glowed, an intense golden color. "So you're saying. . ."

Artemis nodded. "There was a reddish orange essence intermixed with my silver one. The result is this child."

" _Whose_?" Apollo demanded. Rage was written on his face. "Who did it?"

Artemis was taken aback, but only for a moment. "I don't know. I didn't sense anyone around."

And then a cold fury flashed across her face. "And when I find out who it was, I will _carve them into pieces_."

Her gaze traveled down to the child and she softened. "He's an innocent, though."

"Oh man," Apollo ran his hand through his hair. "Well, it's reassuring to know that you're still a maiden - "

"I am, and I always will be," Artemis affirmed.

"Good, at least we don't have to worry about the troubles that would come with that. Artemis, you know that this child, if found out, will be targeted, right? A child of Artemis - no, not only that. A _male_ child of Artemis. He'll be in danger if he's ever discovered." Apollo tilted his head. "But then again, I suppose that's why you're here."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, brother, I need your help," Artemis was uncharacteristically vulnerable. "I can't keep him with me, and I don't have anywhere else to put him that I know is safe other than with you. Can you help me?"

"You realize," Apollo began, "I'll be breaking numerous Ancient Laws to do this. I wouldn't do this even for my own children. It's going to take up a lot of my time, patience, and energy. So, my answer to your request is. . ."

Artemis turned away. Of course. Such an outrageous request surely could not be granted -

Apollo spread his arms and smiled. "For you, my dear little sister, I'll do anything. I'll keep him safe."

Artemis turned back around, startled, before a grateful smile spread across her face. "Thank you, Apollo."

"You're welcome. That explains why you came here out of all places," Apollo rubbed his chin. "It's because this is one of the few places I keep shielded from view. A man needs his privacy, you see."

"Indeed. I doubt even Athena knows about what happens inside of here, and she makes it a habit to try to know _everything_."

Apollo knelt down once more and laid his hand on the boy's forehead. His hand glowed a golden color. "Yup, he's your kid alright. I could recognize my twin sister's power anywhere. Although this other thing in him. . ."

Artemis nodded. "Do you know what it is?"

Apollo shook his head. "No, I don't. My prophecy powers aren't telling me anything either. I'm in the dark with you, sis."

Artemis sighed. "I suppose I'll have to track him down myself."

Apollo slowly edged away from Artemis, who was leaking out a murderous intent. "You do that. I'll just take care of your kid - hey, what's his name? Have you even named him yet?"

The kid in question chose this time to wake up. He exhaled deeply, his eyes slowly opening up to reveal silver-grey eyes the same color as the moon..

"His eyes are the exact same color as yours as well," Apollo said in fascination. "If anyone else saw this kid, then they'll immediately know he's yours. It's obvious."

"Which is why I chose you to go to. As paradoxical as it seems, I know that you're the best to go to when keeping a secret. You can shield his presence from the other immortals," Artemis walked over to the boy who was sitting up, watching them both with wide eyes.

"Hey, kid, how are you doing?" Apollo grinned down.

The boy didn't respond.

"Idiot," Artemis muttered. "He was born not even hours ago. He doesn't know how to speak yet."

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure about that? Remember, he's not a normal demigod. Just like how you and I were born with the knowledge of language, it's entirely plausible that this child could speak too."

Artemis frowned. "We're also _gods_. The red and orange essence, whoever it was from, was not from a god. That much I can tell."

Apollo shrugged. "Well, it can't hurt to try." He turned back to the boy, who seemed a little terrified. "So do you understand us?"

The boy's gaze remained uncomprehending and clueless.

"Hmm, you may be correct," Apollo sighed. "That's unfortunate. So, have you decided on a name for him yet?"

"No, I have not. What do you suggest?"

"How about 'Ap' - "

"Never mind. On second thought, I don't think I'll ever forgive myself if I let you name my child. I'll decide," Artemis tapped her fingers on her thigh. "Hmm. . ."

"Naruto."

They both whirled on the boy, who drew back in fear. "N-n-naruto?"

"So he did understand us! He probably just couldn't speak yet," Apollo crowed triumphantly.

As usual, Artemis ignored him. "Your name is Naruto?"

The boy, Naruto, nodded enthusiastically. "Naruto!"

Artemis looked Apollo who just shrugged. "Naruto it is then."

Apollo rubbed his chin. "That name sounds Japanese. It reminds me of the time I spent in Japan. Here, let me compose a haiku - "

"Perhaps at a later time, brother. For now, my Hunters will be wondering where I am. And. . . thank you." Artemis turned to leave.

"Mama?" Naruto called out.

Artemis froze in place. Then, unable to deal with her conflicting, turbulent feelings, she continued to walk away, leaving the boy behind.

Just because she was outwardly calm didn't mean she was tranquil on the inside. She was still reeling from the events of the night.

She needed time.

"Sis. . . I'll take care of him," Apollo watched her shut the door behind her sadly.

"Mama?" Naruto called again, this time a _lot_ more desperately.

Apollo took a deep breath before brightly smiling down at Naruto. "She has to leave for now. She'll be back soon. How ya doing? My name's Apollo. I'm your uncle."

Naruto squinted up at him. "Unca?"

Apollo nodded. "Artemis, the beautiful girl who just left, was my sister. She's also your mother."

"Okie."

XxX

Naruto knew a new language. Sometime between waking up in the forest and waking up in this room, a new language seems to have settled down in his brain. In fact, he knew _two_ new languages: Greek and English.

It was almost as if it was hardwired into his brain. He didn't know how it worked, but he was thankful for it. He didn't want to have to learn a new language from scratch.

He was also very, very freaked out. Naruto had woken up in the chariot when flying in the sky. He had hidden it, of course, because people let all sorts of information slip when they think he's asleep. And there was definitely a lot of information.

These two people, Artemis and Apollo, his mother and uncle, were apparently gods. Like Kaguya.

Naruto shivered. Does this mean he was part god now?

And apparently, him being the son of Artemis was a big deal. Probably even a bigger deal than him being the son of the Yellow Flash. Naruto needed to be careful from now on. If these two truly were gods, and there were other gods out there, then. . . well, immortals live forever, so they have a very long time to collect enemies.

He was going to continue to feign sleep, but. . . well, his name mattered to him. He was Naruto Uzumaki, and there was no way he'll ever accept anything else.

They didn't question him on how he got that name, thankfully. Probably because they were gods and they were used to stuff like this happening. Whatever. It worked out for him.

Artemis was pissed at Kurama. Naruto sincerely hoped she never found out that it was him who had ripped away at her divine essence. Technically, it was Kurama's jutsu, but he doubted she would care. Although Naruto doesn't know how she would exact her revenge, given how Kurama lived in his seal -

Hold on. Naruto didn't have a seal anymore for Kurama to reside in. He was reborn into a new body that didn't have the Shinigami's Seal or his own custom seal. So where was Kurama?

. . . ehh Naruto will worry about that later.

Another question was exactly where Kurama found this reincarnation jutsu. It sucked, for one, since it didn't actually work the way it was intended to.

Naruto had been reborn with all of his memories, yes. The only problem is that they were in a brand new dimension, and Naruto wasn't human anymore.

Was he half-Bijuu half-god? This was on the same level of confusingness as Obito!

But then again, it didn't matter _what_ Naruto was. After all, it's not the face or the body that makes someone who they are, it's the choices they make with their lives.

Naruto could be in Orochimaru's body for all he cares, because he'll _never_ stop being Naruto Uzumaki, believe it!

It had stung Naruto a bit when his mother had left. He didn't even know her, but he was all alone in this new world, and with Kurama asleep, she was all he had.

But he didn't blame her. He would be shocked too if Kurama's chakra was suddenly stolen and used to make a mini-Bijuu.

(It still hurt, though.)

"So, Naruto, anything else you wanna tell me? You know, when I was born, I immediately sang a song about my awesomeness and how I would be the god of archery, prophecy, and all that jazz. How about you? Any dreams of what you're going to do?" Apollo grinned down at Naruto. His teeth were blindingly white.

A dream. . .

Before, Naruto had a dream to become Hokage. He had a dream to be accepted by everyone. He had a dream to protect his precious people, and to bring back Sasuke.

But there's no Konoha anymore. There's no villagers that hate him, there's no Sasuke, there's no precious people to protect. Besides Kurama, of course, but Kurama would probably swallow Naruto whole if he ever implied that Kurama needed any protecting.

So now, Naruto's dream is to just. . . find someone precious again.

Naruto gazed contemplatively at the man still grinning down at him. Apollo. His new uncle. He can start from there.

And so Naruto returned Apollo's grin with a shining smile of his own. "I wanna be friends with you!"

Apollo's smile widened. "Oh, you have a good dream. A very good dream indeed."

Fortunately, Apollo didn't question Naruto's sudden jump in speaking skills.

Either gods were super clueless, or they saw so much weird stuff every day, small things like this didn't even faze them. Naruto hoped it was the former, but with his track record, it was definitely the latter.

XxX

_1 month after._

"Damn it! You're cheating!" Naruto howled in outrage, slamming down the Xbox controller on the soft white cushions.

Apollo smirked. "You're just too bad, that's all. Don't worry, losing is normal."

Naruto had adapted to life living with a god fairly well. There were some minor glitches here and there, like how there weren't any bathrooms in the mansion (that had almost been a disaster), but overall it was going pretty well.

He wasn't allowed past the boundary line. Apollo's domain was the mansion, and as long as Naruto stayed within the domain, then he would be shielded from view. But if he stepped past the boundary, all sorts of deities and creatures can sense him.

It was aggravating, not being able to go outside. It was almost as if there was something inside of him urging, compelling, _demanding_ him to leave the confines of the building and enjoy the wilderness. Naruto yearned to be in a forest again, to be among trees and enjoy the crisp fresh air.

But he wasn't stupid or rash or reckless anymore. He knew that if he went out and was discovered, there would be trouble not only for him but also for Apollo and Artemis. And so, even though it pained him, he did the smart thing and stayed inside.

Apollo wasn't bad company. He was really good, actually.

He still had his annoying moments, though. Such as right now.

"We're having a 1v1 match on Super Smash Bros," Naruto glared.

"Yes."

"You killed me."

"With ease."

"Your eyes were closed."

"I'm just that good."

"You aren't even _touching_ the controller!"

Apollo shrugged. "I'm a god. I'm not limited by mortal - "

"THAT'S CHEATING! CONTROLLING IT WITH YOUR MIND COMPLETELY DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF THE GAME!" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet. His eyes blazed with determination and a fire roared to life in his heart.

"You know what? If you're going to cheat like that, fine! But know this: even with your cheats, I, Naruto, will defeat you so badly, you will _rue_ the day you introduced me to this game! Believe it!"

Apollo chuckled. "Good luck with that, Naruto."

"ANOTHER ROUND!"

XxX

_2 months after._

"Wait wait wait, let me get this straight," Naruto leaned forward, squinting suspiciously at Apollo. "So you're saying that you are the son of Zeus, the King of Gods."

"Correct."

"Artemis is your sister."

"Is pointing out the obvious a hobby of yours?"

"Shut up. Zeus is married to Hera, and had Ares together."

"Tell me to 'shut up' again, and I'll show you what we used to do to ungrateful brats in Sparta. Here's a hint: it involved blood."

"Ooh, I'm so scared," And he would have been, if Apollo didn't make these threats every other hour. He never carried out on them though, mostly because Artemis would have slaughtered him if he did.

"But Hera is, like, you know, Zeus's _sister."_

"Uh huh."

Naruto stared at Apollo. "They're _siblings_."

Apollo shrugged. "Gods don't have DNA."

"Not having DNA doesn't make it any less weird!"

Apollo shook his head. "You're looking at this from a mortal perspective. From a godly perspective, it's not weird at all. The only thing that's frowned upon is if a god dates their children, or demigods with the same parents getting together."

"Right. . ."

"Besides, we're all related in some way, so if you're going to be like that, your dating pool will be limited to only mortals and nature spirits," Apollo shrugged.

". . . okay."

Surprisingly, Naruto doesn't feel that strongly about the opposite gender anymore. He's not sure if it's because he's back in a child's body, but for some reason, whenever he thought about Hinata, his heart didn't pound and his face didn't flush anymore.

Perhaps it was Artemis's influence on him.

XxX

_3 months after._

Naruto forlornly stared out the window of the mansion. His fingers tapped a disjointed pattern on the marble ledge.

He sensed Apollo come up behind him. "When?"

Somehow, Apollo understood what Naruto meant from that one word question. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

Naruto turned around to face Apollo, and Apollo could see the pain in Naruto's eyes. "Why won't she come see me?"

"I don't know," Apollo repeated.

"It's because she hates me," Naruto whispered, looking down at his tiny feet.

"No, it's not - " Apollo began, but Naruto cut him off with a bitter chuckle.

"Oh please. Don't give me that. Artemis never wanted a child, much less a _male_ child. I'm nothing but a painful reminder to her," Naruto looked away. "Otherwise, why else hasn't she come seen me even _once?"_

Apollo hesitated. "Because she doesn't want to hurt you."

" _Hurt me?!"_ Naruto whirled around to face him. Apollo's eyes narrowed, angered at Naruto's tone, but all of his anger dissipated when he saw the tears on Naruto's face. "Are you out of your mind? Why would she think she would _hurt me?!"_

"We're gods," Apollo said simply. "Most gods, even the nice ones, aren't exactly great parent material - except for me, of course. And my little sister has never had a child before. She's seen what the other gods do, the tragedies they cause, and she's terrified she'll do the same to you. She doesn't want you to be hurt."

Naruto looked at Apollo despairingly. "I don't care if she insults me. I don't care if she glares at me. I just don't want to be _left alone by her_. Why does she have to _ignore me?!"_

Loneliness is a hell Naruto thought he had been rescued from years ago, but for some reason, he was right back.

Although that wasn't entirely true. He wasn't truly alone. Apollo was here. But just like how it was back then, when he had Jiji, Teuchi, and Ayame, Apollo wasn't enough.

Naruto couldn't leave the mansion. Nobody could come in except Artemis, his own mother. And she never did.

Apollo opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it. "I'm sorry, Naruto," he finally said.

XxX

_4 months after._

Naruto leaned back, dodging Apollo's sword swing by a hair's length. He then rushed forward, fist already ready to deliver a devastating blow.

Apollo tried to bring back his sword to attack Naruto once more, but Naruto jumped up and borrowed one of Lee's techniques, kicking Apollo's sword arm away with the Konoha Senpuu. The sword clattered out of Apollo's hands, and Apollo was forced to block all of Naruto's punches barehanded.

Apollo cocked his fist back for a hook punch. Naruto smirked. Apollo was broadcasting his attacks like an Academy student. Naruto could see right through it.

Naruto sidestepped, deflecting the hook harmlessly past him with his hand, kicked out with his leg to take out Apollo's knees, and used his other fist to punch Apollo square in the face.

Just as his fist was about to make contact, Apollo exploded into action. His hand blurred as he effortlessly blocked Naruto's fist with his palm - and then Naruto's kick hit Apollo in the knees. Naruto quickly disengaged afterwards, jumping back to put some distance between them.

"OW! For a little guy, you kick _hard_ ," Apollo rubbed his knee, wincing. "When I proposed combat training today, I did not imagine it to be like this."

"What, you losing badly?" Naruto taunted.

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "I would like to remind you that I am fighting at less than 1% of my full power. Don't be like the other demigods before you. Arrogance will only lead to your downfall."

Apollo may be fighting at less than 1% of his full power, but so was Naruto.

Naruto shrugged. "Less than 1% or not, I, a small child, still landed an attack on you. That cannot possibly be good for your reputation if it got out, hmm?"

"My main weapon is the bow. If I wanted to, I could spam you down with arrows from a mile away, and you would be powerless to stop it." Apollo's golden bow materialized in his hand with a flash. "Care to try it?"

Naruto held up his hands. "Hold up we can talk about this."

"The time for talk," Apollo smirked, "is over. So is combat training, for that matter. We're moving on to dodge training now."

"Don't point that thing at me! Why are you nocking 8 arrows at once?! You can't possibly fire 8 arrows at once with any accuracy - HOLY SAGE!"

XxX

_5 months after._

"Why am I so good at archery?" Naruto asked quizzically.

"Your mother is Artemis, who I freely admit is _almost_ as skilled as me."

"In other words, she's better than you."

"I never said that."

"Uh huh. So her skills transferred down to me?"

"Yeah. Just like how my own children are great at bows, singing, basketball, and healing, you get some powers from Artemis."

"That's a scary thought."

"What? You getting special demigod powers because you're the child of Artemis?"

"No, the fact that you have children."

". . . I'll have you know that of all the gods, I am in the top 5 in terms of the most demigod childr - "

"SHUT UP I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THAT!"

XxX

_6 months after._

Apollo wasn't with Naruto for most of the day. He had his duties to attend to. As a result, Naruto was often left all alone in the mansion.

He used this time to train his chakra. He didn't want Apollo finding out about his chakra yet. Naruto is well aware that he can't keep this a secret forever, but he wanted to wait some time before he revealed it.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

The entire mansion was suddenly filled with clones. "You all know what to do. Come on, let's get to it."

"Right!" a chorus of voices responded. The clones scattered, forming groups to work on getting Naruto his skills back.

Ever since he was reborn, Naruto's skill level has decreased drastically. Understandable, since he's a small child. His chakra control was nonexistent, his reflexes diminished, his speed slow, his strength low. . . all in all, it wasn't so great.

Naruto was at around low Jonin level right now. He needs to get back to Kage level. And that means training.

Because in this new world full of gods and monsters, Naruto needs to be strong to protect his precious people.

Well, okay. Precious _person,_ so far.

Apollo was Naruto's only friend. Kurama was still fast asleep.

Naruto really wanted Kurama to wake up, partly to have another being to talk to, partly to ask Kurama exactly where he had gotten that jutsu. Why, out of all the gods and goddesses, was Naruto a child of _Artemis?_

Lots of unanswered questions with no way of answering them.

In any case, if Naruto wanted to be able to protect Apollo, who was a literal god, then Naruto had to be strong. Really damn strong.

A loud combination of voices suddenly screamed out the same thing.

"RASENGAN!"

XxX

_7 months after._

"You're aging at a rapid pace," Apollo said in a white lab coat.

"You think?"

Naruto was biologically only 7 months old, but he already had the appearance of a 6 year old. Naruto was kinda freaked out about it.

Apollo tilted his head. "I still can't pinpoint exactly what you are. You're half-goddess from Artemis, but the other half. . . I don't know what it is."

Naruto instantly felt very, very nervous.

"It's not another god or Titan. You don't have golden ichor. It's not a dryad, or a naiad, or a wind spirit or an earth spirit. It's not a monster either," Apollo frowned. " _What_ are you?"

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "No idea." Technically, that was the truth. Naruto had no idea what to classify himself as.

"Huh. Whatever. As long as you don't get the urge to consume human flesh, we should be good."

XxX

_9 months after._

"There are _7 billion people_ in the world?!" Naruto exclaimed in shock.

Apollo nodded. "Approximately. Is that really that shocking to you?"

"Yeah! There's so many people!"

7 billion. That's more than 10 times the population of the Elemental Nations. The number was insane.

"So you're saying that, in order to win this game, we have to kill 7 billion people?!" Naruto gestured at the television, where they were playing Plague Arrows Inc.

"It's not a game," Apollo corrected. "It's a simulation of what would happen if I ever decided to unleash my plague arrows. I'm known as the god of healing, but many people also forget I have control over diseases."

". . . a real simulation would also account for other gods interfering and stopping the diseases. This isn't a simulation, it's a game."

Apollo sighed. "If you insist on being stubborn, well. I know better than to start arguments with idiots."

"Yeah, because you know you'll lose. And what does that make you? Worse than an idiot."

"Careful, Naruto, unless you want me to infect you with something nasty."

Naruto called his bluff. "You won't."

Apollo paused and stared intently at Naruto, a dangerous gleam entering his eyes. "You really think I won't?"

Naruto stood his ground. His body was half Bijuu chakra. Getting sick when he was a Jinchuuriki was already hard before. Now, with the Bijuu chakra literally forming his body? Naruto doubted there was a virus out there that could withstand the power. "Do it, I dare you."

There was a staredown for a moment, with neither side backing down.

Apollo snapped his fingers.

Naruto immediately scooted away on the white couch. "WHOA! You weren't actually supposed to do it! What did you do?!"

Apollo frowned. "That's odd. You were supposed to have developed itchy spots all over your body and, no matter how hard you scratched at it, the itch would never go away."

"That's evil," Naruto whispered in horror. "That's pure evil."

Apollo shrugged. "Hey, I just borrowed the idea from the mosquitoes. They're the ones who came up with it. Although now I'm interested. Are you immune to diseases?"

"Why don't you test it out?" Naruto was curious as well.

39 different assorted viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoans later, Apollo finally let out a sigh. "You're completely immune."

Naruto pumped his fist in the air. "Ha! Sucks, doesn't it, god of _diseases_?"

"I'm just confused as to where you got this immunity _from_ ," Apollo scratched his head. "It's not from Artemis; she can only grant immunity from diseases if you receive her blessings to become a Hunter of Artemis. It must be from your other half, then."

"Probably," Naruto casually tried to change the subject. "Alright, so now that we've established my new awesome power, let's play."

Apollo grinned. "Very well. Let's make the human race extinct."

Naruto and Apollo both readied their bows and aimed at the television. A map of the entire world appeared.

"Where first?" Naruto asked.

"India, of course. They have both sea and air travel, not to mention they border several countries," Apollo shifted his aim slightly to the right.

"India it is."

Apollo fired, the magical arrow sinking harmlessly into the television, and a red bubble appearing on top of India. Naruto let loose his own arrow at the red bubble, popping it.

"So how do we win?"

"Our disease cannot have any symptoms at first, because we don't want my children - the doctors and researchers - to develop a cure. Then, when everyone is infected, we strike with Total Organ Failure."

"Sounds nasty. Let's do it!"

"Oh, but the hardest part is infecting Greenland. Gods, I hate Greenland."

XxX

_11 months after._

Apollo was gone again, off to perform his duties.

Naruto grunted as the force of the impact knocked him back. He quickly redirected the momentum, bending backward into a backhandspring and kicking up viciously. His foot met something hard - then it passed harmlessly through the chakra smoke when the clone dispelled.

"Nice one, boss!"

Naruto grinned smugly. "Thank you, thank you."

He was busy sparring with his Kage Bunshins. He needed to get used to Taijutsu in a younger body. Naruto didn't have as much reach and power, but his small size meant he could pull off a lot of things he couldn't do before.

"Come at me! I'll take you all on!"

His clones grinned at him menacingly. "All of us?"

Naruto gulped, looking at the veritable sea of orange in the hall. "Wait, not all of you. I only meant like maybe 30 or so."

"That's not what we heard, _boss_."

And they charged, their roars drowning out Naruto's shout of "You're _my_ clones! You're supposed to listen to me! You know what, fine! RASENGAN!"

XxX

_1 year after_

Naruto stared out the window. The full moon in all its glory stared down at him.

"Naruto?" Apollo walked up to stand next to Naruto.

"The moon is beautiful tonight," Naruto whispered, the moonshine illuminating his face.

"It is," Apollo agreed. There was a silence between them for a moment.

"She loves you, you know?"

"She does, huh?" Naruto scoffed. "It's been a year," Naruto turned to face Apollo. "Why hasn't she come yet?"

Apollo gazed at him with an unrecognizable look on his face. "I have never met most of my children before."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Apollo chuckled self-deprecatingly. "I have a Cabin full of my children, and I haven't met most of them yet. And the ones that I have met, our exchanges were limited to a few minutes. I'm forbidden to interact with them by the Ancient Laws. In fact, I'm breaking several right now, even as we speak."

Naruto frowned. "Then why are you taking care of me?"

"Why? Because, on the night you were born, my little sister. . . she. . ." Apollo turned away, his face obscured by the darkness.

Naruto leaned forward. "She what?"

"She. . ." And suddenly, Apollo was right in front of Naruto's face, tears of joy welled up in his eyes and a bright smile on his face. "My adorable little sister finally asked me for help!"

"HUH?!"

Apollo stepped back and did a little dance. "She has never asked for my help before. Every time I see her, she's always like 'I need a favor' or 'Do this for me' or 'This is a command.' But that night, she asked for my help! How could I refuse my sis's request for help?"

" _That's_ your reason?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Hey, I gotta help out my little sister!" Apollo grinned. "Because that's what older brothers do."

His expression turned serious. "And that's how I know she loves you. Because she wouldn't ask me to do this if she didn't."

Naruto silently gazed at Apollo for a moment. "Thank you," he finally said.

Apollo grinned. "No problem."

It still hurt though. Before, Naruto had thought the worst pain in the world was not having a mother. But now, he knew the worst pain is having one that doesn't want to see your face.


	2. Chapter 2

_1 year, 2 months after._

"I am interested in you," Apollo said.

Naruto immediately backed away until he hit the wall. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Apollo winced. "Why do you have to be so loud? Anyways, as I was saying, I'm scientifically interested in your body. You're the only child of Artemis in existence, and I want to test out your powers."

Naruto tried his very best to activate Kamui and sink into the wall. It didn't work. "Phrasing, Apollo, phrasing!"

Apollo frowned. "What?"

"Never mind," Naruto sighed. Then he perked up. "So, how does it work?"

"Kukuku," Apollo chuckled menacingly. "Follow me, Naruto."

Naruto gulped in fear.

XxX

_1 year, 2 months, and 3 hours after._

Naruto collapsed onto the wood floor, feeling as if he'd just been hit by a Susanoo.

"Hey, careful. Don't get your sweat on the wood. These floors cost me a fortune," Apollo warned.

Naruto breathed in deeply, ignoring Apollo. He had just gone through one of the most exhausting training sessions he had ever been in. It wasn't as bad as Kakashi-sensei's Hell Training, but it was close.

"Conclusions?" Naruto gasped out. "Wait, no. Water first."

Apollo snapped his fingers and a bottle of Coke appeared, which he offered to Naruto.

"I said _water_."

"Don't be a picky drinker," Apollo snapped his fingers once again and the Coke turned into a bottle of spring water which Naruto took gratefully. "You're just like Artemis. I bet that on your birthday, you'll ask for trail mix instead of a cake oh wait. . . "

Naruto and Apollo locked eyes and froze. Naruto spoke first. "My birthday. . ."

"I completely forgot. . ." Apollo finished, horror on his face.

They stared at each other.

"I'll get us some ramen later tonight?" Apollo offered.

Naruto brightened. "It's a deal."

"Perfect. Now that we have that out of the way, let us analyze the results," A dossier appeared in Apollo's hands.

Naruto leaned forward, eager to hear what Apollo had to say.

"Let's see. . . We already know about your immunity to diseases. Hmm. . . your overall physical capabilities are far above mortals, which is typical for most demigods. As a child of Artemis, your reflexes are off the charts, you have a great innate skill with archery, and your senses are inhumanly good. And. . . nope. That's it. Those are all the things I can detect at this point."

"That's _it?!"_ Naruto asked incredulously. "You made me go through 3 hours of hell just to tell me what I already knew?"

Apollo smirked. "That, and it was great entertainment."

XxX

_1 year, 3 months after._

"Let me get something straight," Naruto held up one finger. "The original 6 gods, Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera, and Hestia, overthrew their father, Kronos."

"Congratulations, you've just mastered Greek Mythology 101."

"Zeus sliced Kronos up and scattered his remains across Tartarus. The other Titans that had sided with Kronos were also either cast into Tartarus or imprisoned."

Apollo sighed. "How in the name of Me is that relevant to what we're doing right now?"

Naruto looked down at the game of chess that they were playing. "Well, you're cheating and I'm cheating, so there's not really much of a point of focusing on this."

Apollo shrugged. "Fair enough. Chess was never really my thing anyways. Athena, on the other hand, loves chess. 'The game of a strategist,' she says. 'It simulates a battle.'"

Naruto scoffed. "Chess?! Chess has nothing to do with a real battle!"

"Exactly!" Apollo leaned back and spread his arms in agreement. "I'm the god of _archery_! I'm not going to move onto my enemy's square, I'm gonna take them down from a mile away!"

"And there are no surprises in chess! The opponent has all of the information, and you're heavily limited by what you can and cannot do," Naruto slammed his hand down onto the table, rattling the entire chess board and knocking several pieces down. "See, in a real battle, _that's_ how you win! You do something the enemy doesn't expect!"

Apollo nodded fervently. "I concur completely."

Naruto started picking up the fallen chess pieces and placing them back onto the board.

"So why are you asking about Kronos?" Apollo said curiously.

Naruto bit his lip. "Did Zeus or any of the other gods try to talk to their dad at all? To try to understand why he did what he did?"

Apollo stared at Naruto. "Dude. Kronos literally _swallowed them whole_. There's no room for understanding there. The only thing to do, the right thing to do, was to overthrow Kronos."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "So the gods' vengeance brought justice, huh?"

"Yeah, I'll say it certainly did," Apollo nodded.

"And if that justice only brings more vengeance?" Naruto rubbed his hands unconsciously. A memory of an old wound. "The Titans aren't fully gone. They're going to come back one day and attack Olympus."

Apollo hesitated. "We don't know that for sure."

"But if it does happen?" Naruto pressed on. "The Titans will seek revenge. They will want to raze - "

Apollo drew in a sharp breath.

" - Olympus to the ground. And then the gods will attack them again, right?"

"If the Titans do come back and attack Olympus then yes, we will counterattack and beat them again," Apollo confirmed.

"So it's the same," Naruto whispered. _Even though shinobi do not exist in this world, hatred is still present._

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Naruto said. "Oh, by the way, checkmate."

Apollo blinked and looked down at the board. Sure enough, he was checkmated. "Did you seriously move the chess pieces that you knocked down into a position that would checkmate me _while I was right here watching you?_ "

"In a real battle, do you think the enemy will follow the rules? I won." Naruto smirked.

Apollo glared at Naruto. "I'll call it a tie, and that's the best offer you're going to get."

"I'll take it."

XxX

_1 year, 4 months after._

Naruto was bored. He was surprised it took him that long to become bored, but in all fairness, there were a _lot_ of things to do in the mansion. But today, Naruto didn't feel like reading the old myths or training or perfecting his Pikachu against bots.

With Apollo off to do his own things, there's nothing Naruto could do.

A cunning smirk appeared on Naruto's face.

There's nothing he could do. . . except for execute the Plan.

Naruto had played the long con. He had convinced Apollo that he was an innocent little boy. And now, with Apollo's guard down, it's time to _strike_.

XxX

The Hall of the Gods was alive with chatter for the Monthly Council Meeting.

Aphrodite was flirting with Ares, Hephaestus's hands were tinkering with some gears while glaring at Aphrodite, Athena was discussing the benefits of lowering the mortal drinking age with Dionysus, Zeus was arguing with Hera, and Poseidon was passed out from boredom.

Artemis surveyed everyone with a neutral look. Internally, however, she was heavily irritated.

There were rumors about ancient and powerful enemies of Olympus beginning to rise. Whispers of forces long forgotten stirring from their sleep.

The only problem was that the gods weren't willing to separate the truth from the lie. They're well aware of the rumors, they just don't care.

Artemis disliked that. If there truly are threats against Olympus, then immediate action must be taken to first identify and then combat the threats before they spiral out of control.

"Father, shall we begin?" Artemis called out, silencing everyone - or in Poseidon's case, startling him awake. Her neutral expression became a cold one. "Or shall we continue to waste time?"

Zeus coughed. " _Ahem_. You're right. Let's begin - hey, wait, where's Apollo?"

The gods and goddesses looked around, but Apollo was nowhere to be seen.

"That idiot," Artemis muttered under her breath. "Why is he late?"

The grand double doors slammed open and Apollo staggered through.

Artemis opened her mouth to rebuke him - and promptly froze at the sight. Everyone else did the same. They all just stared at Apollo.

Apollo's hair was a bright pink color along with what looked like about a pound of glitter scattered in. It was also sticking out in every direction imaginable.

His skin was dyed neon orange. There was black marker on his face - a mustache, whiskers, a fox's paw print, and a small drawing that vaguely resembles a leaf.

There was an audible silence in the Hall.

Hermes started trembling, trying to keep it together.

"What's up, everyone?" Apollo grinned. The grin was clearly forced, and his eyes twitched every few seconds.

"Your hair, for one," Ares answered in a rare display of wit. And with that, it was all over for everyone else. They all burst into a resounding laughter that echoed throughout the halls.

Even Artemis chuckled a few times. She could definitely appreciate seeing her brother like this.

Throughout all of this, Apollo stood there, grin still fixed on his face, eyes twitching madly. "Right, well, I'll just go ahead and sit down."

"Who did that to you?" Hermes inquired, a twinkle in his eye. "I need to shake their hand." _And steal their watch_ went unsaid, but everyone in the room knew it.

Apollo clenched his fists. "Yeah, I wonder _who_ ," he said, staring right at Artemis.

Artemis's eyes widened. So it was _him_?

She smiled amusedly. He did well.

The Council Meeting continued, with a few chuckles here and there whenever someone looked at Apollo.

And during the Meeting, nobody noticed the curious gleam in the little girl's eyes while she tended to the hearth, keeping the flames alive.

XxX

_1 year, 5 months after._

"Naruto? What are you doing?"

Naruto spun around, blocking Apollo's view of the papers on the desk behind him with his body. "Nothing!"

"Oh? That doesn't look like nothing to me," Apollo walked forward, craning his head to get a better view.

Naruto couldn't let him see what was on the papers. It had to be kept a secret. But how can he stop Apollo? If Apollo wanted to do something, then he will do it -

Oh. Right. Naruto could always just do _that_.

Naruto smirked at Apollo.

Apollo immediately jumped back, a HAZMAT suit materializing to cover his entire body. His eyes flickered around the room, scanning for any hidden surprises. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, _shame on you_. You won't get me again, Naruto."

And with that, Apollo disappeared in a flash of golden light.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. It worked.

Ever since he had pranked Apollo, Apollo had been downright paranoid. Seeing Naruto smirk at him must have sent him into DEFCON 1.

Naruto looked back at the papers on the desk. That was a close call.

XxX

_1 year, 6 months after._

Naruto stared at the person in front of him. "Apollo!" he screamed, jumping back, hands already coming together to form hand seals.

A few moments passed before Apollo was there in a literal golden flash of light, his bow out and an arrow nocked at the intruder. There was a sudden heavy pressure that pressed down against everything, cracks forming on the wall from the might.

" _ **Who dares intrude upon my domain -**_ Hestia?" Apollo abruptly lowered his bow, confusion written on his face. "What are you doing here? _How_ are you even here?"

Naruto tilted his head questioningly, hands still held together in a familiar cross-shaped hand seal. He was fully willing to reveal the existence of chakra to fight back anyone powerful enough to intrude in Apollo's domain. "Hestia?"

Naruto examined the small girl in front of him. She was a few years older than him, around 11 years old. She had black hair and warm brown eyes, like pools of chocolate.

Apollo cautiously dismissed his bow, which vanished in a flash of golden light. He looked around wildly, as if sensing for any other intruders. After a moment, he relaxed. "Naruto, meet my Aunt, Hestia, the Goddess of - "

"The hearth, home, and family," Hestia cut in, smiling. "It's nice to see you again, Apollo."

"What are you doing here?"

"What is she doing here?"

Naruto and Apollo spoke in unison. They turned to each other, surprised.

"Hey, kid, the adults are talking. That means for you to shut up," Apollo said.

Naruto scoffed. " _Adults?!_ You _banned ramen for a week_ after the harmless prank I pulled on you! Is that what an _adult_ would do?"

"You deserved that, after embarrassing me _in front of the Council_ ," Apollo snarled.

Hestia coughed lightly. "Yes, well, as amusing as that was, allow me to reveal what I am doing here."

Apollo and Naruto turned to her.

"To be honest, at the moment, I'm more concerned about the _how_. If I have any security issues, I need to fix them," Apollo narrowed his eyes. "How did you get in here?"

Hestia stared at him. "You invited me."

Apollo frowned. "No I didn't."

"Yes, you did," Hestia grinned mischievously. "Remember a few thousand years ago, when Artemis wouldn't talk to you?"

Apollo's face darkened. "We don't talk about the Dark Ages."

"Ah, of course. Well, after I told you what to say to her, and she spoke the first words to you in, what was it again?"

"529 years, 8 months, 23 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, 23 seconds," Apollo answered automatically.

"That's a made up number, and you know it," Naruto accused.

Apollo's eyes were unfocused, lost in painful memories. "No. I counted every second. She wouldn't look at me, talk to me, even be in the same room with me. It was the single worst time of my entire life."

"Huh. What did you do to make her so mad?" Naruto asked.

"A mistake."

"Yes, well," Hestia cut in, "After she finally spoke to you and you cried and danced and sang songs about the 'awesomeness of your little sister,' you celebrated for 3 days straight afterwards."

Apollo nodded slowly. "I do remember that, yes."

"Then do you remember when you came up to thank me, drunk out of your mind?"

"A little fuzzier, but yeah."

"And do you remember saying, and I quote, "Hestia, you are _wonderful_. From this day forward, where I am welcome, you are welcome. Nothing else could show my eternal appreciation for you.'" Hestia's grin widened.

"That was _binding?!_ " Apollo asked incredulously.

Hestia nodded. "Your intent was clear. It was an invitation to your domain, and since you never took it back, the offer stood to this day."

"Huh," Apollo crossed his arms. "So you mean to say. . . all this time, you could have entered _all_ of my domains?!"

"Indeed," Hestia confirmed cheerily. "So don't worry, there aren't any security risks here - unless you granted _another_ person permission to roam all your domains?"

Apollo shook his head. "No, I wouldn't be stupid enough to do that."

Naruto smirked. "And yet, here she is."

Apollo chose to ignore him. "What brings you here, Hestia?"

Hestia raised an eyebrow. "You know that I'm the goddess of home and family, correct? So how could I possibly not have noticed a new addition to my dear nephew's family? Especially with how much time the new addition spent at home. At first, I thought nothing of it. Perhaps it was a nature spirit that you took fancy to, or maybe you found yourself a goddess to settle down with."

Hestia leaned forward conspiratorially. Naruto and Apollo leaned forward unconsciously as well.

"But then you came in that one Council Meeting looking so. . . colorful. And you didn't kill anybody for it. You didn't even make a fuss! No songs denouncing your enemy, no secret arrows being launched into the sky, no favors being called in to make the person's life a living hell. . . it was as if it never happened. At that point, I was definitely interested in just _who_ it could be."

Apollo and Naruto stared at Hestia. Then, eyes still fixed on Hestia, Apollo smacked Naruto on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Naruto yelled, grabbing his head. "What was that for?!"

"Idiot! She only found out about you because of the prank you pulled!" Apollo snapped.

Hestia laughed. "Well, the knowing glance you shared with Artemis during the meeting only strengthened my suspicions. She knew, you knew, and nobody else knew. It was obvious there was a secret between you two."

Apollo glared at Naruto. "No. Don't you dare."

"You head-slapped me first! It's only fair I get to do it to you!" Naruto tried his hardest to smack Apollo, but Apollo's long arms held him away. Curse his height advantage!

"I admit, it slipped my mind somewhat until earlier today, when I was baking cookies," Hestia smiled while Naruto glared at Apollo with righteous fury. "I was experimenting with adding cotton candy, and the pink cotton candy reminded me of your hair during the meeting."

Naruto broke out into laughter at the mention of his prank. Oh, that had been a masterpiece.

"And so I entered this home through the hearth," Hestia continued. "And imagine my surprise when I came face to face with Artemis's look-alike."

"Hold up," Naruto held up his hand confusedly. "You appeared _through the television_ , not the hearth."

Hestia shrugged. "In this day and age, not many people have hearths anymore. Thankfully, the definition extends to anything that symbolizes a home. In your case, it happens to be the television."

Apollo and Naruto shared a look of mutual agreement that perhaps they've been spending a little too much time playing video games and watching movies.

"And now it's my turn to ask the questions," Hestia's expression became deadly serious. "Who are you?" she directed to Naruto.

Naruto looked at Apollo for help. Apollo considered it for a moment. "Swear on the River Styx you won't tell anyone else until we allow you."

"Done. I swear on the River Styx." Thunder boomed off in the distance, signifying the pact being sealed.

Apollo nodded to Naruto, giving him the green light.

"Alright. My name is Naruto and I'm the son of Artemis!" Naruto grinned. "Nice to meetcha!"

Hestia's mouth dropped open. She mouthed the words _the son of Artemis_.

"She's still a virgin," Apollo hurriedly said. "He was born through immaculate means. Essence combination."

Hestia breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness for that. I was worried for a second. If Artemis suddenly lost her maidenhood as the Goddess of Maidenhood, chaos would ensue. So is Naruto similar to Athena's children?"

"Pretty much. We don't know who or what the father is, unfortunately. He seems to have disappeared into thin air."

Naruto was suddenly very, very interested in his sandals.

"No human blood in him?" Hestia asked.

Apollo hesitated. "He doesn't have any ichor in him. But at the same time, he doesn't have any human blood in him either. He aged rapidly and was born with English and Greek hardwired into his brain."

Hestia frowned. "Hmm. Interesting. In any case, I can certainly see why you're keeping him a secret from the other gods. I wouldn't be surprised if they started a vote to blast him out of existence if they found out."

Naruto's mouth turned dry. He knew of this already, of course, but it always left a foul taste in his mouth when he realized just how _little_ his family cared for each other.

Apollo nodded. "A child of Artemis, male no less, would be viewed as an abomination that goes against the natural order. Although to be fair, he _is_ an abomination at times."

"Hey!"

"Artemis brought him to me and asked me to take care of him the night he was born, and he hasn't been out since. That was, what, a year and a half ago?" Apollo wondered.

Naruto nodded. "Yup."

Naruto's accelerated aging still unsettled him sometimes. He often forgot, since his mind was 17 years old, but he has been born for only _a year and a half_.

Hestia stared incredulously at Apollo. "He hasn't been outside, ever?!"

"A travesty, I know. He hasn't even ridden in my sun chariot yet," Apollo sighed.

Hestia pursed her lips.

Then she turned to Naruto and smiled warmly. "Hello there, Naruto. My name is Hestia."

Naruto returned her smile with a brilliant one of his own. She was the third person - goddess - he's met so far since being reborn. She was also really friendly. "Do you have any cool powers?"

Hestia grinned. "Yup. In fact, I could show you them right now. It's about lunchtime. Are you hungry?"

Naruto's stomach chose that time to let out a growl. He blushed. "Umm, yeah."

"Speak no further. Lead me to your dining room."

They walked past into a room with a small round table with two seats facing each other.

"Let me take care of that," Apollo quickly clapped his hands and a new chair popped into existence.

They sat down, Naruto eagerly waiting for the food. As a goddess of family and the home, she had to know how to cook, right?

Hestia merely waved her hand and a feast appeared on the table. Roast beef, fried rice, sandwiches, chicken wings, salads. . . it smelled delicious.

Wait. . .

"Can you do that for all types of food?" Naruto asked urgently.

Hestia blinked. "I can."

Naruto's hands _blurred_ as he clasped Hestia's small hands, staring intently into her wide eyes. "Do you know how to make ramen?"

Hestia stared at him, surprised, before a confident and slightly amused smile took over her face. "As a matter of fact, in the time the gods spent in Japan, I mastered my art of cooking both ramen and sushi."

"Can. . . can we have ramen for lunch then?" There were stars shining in Naruto's eyes.

Hestia laughed. "Of course."

She waved her hand and the feast on the table was replaced with bowls upon bowls of ramen, each a different recipe. Miso, pork, beef, seafood. . . they were all there.

Naruto inhaled. Exhaled.

 _Heaven_.

"Hestia. I know we've just met. . . but I think I love you. You're the best!"

Apollo crossed his arms. "You better have meant that as a familial love."

Naruto paused, already halfway finished with a bowl. He finished chewing first before shouting, "Of course it was familial love! Don't be weird like that!"

Hestia smiled. "You know, Apollo proposed to me once."

Naruto went still. His chopsticks slid out of his hands and clattered onto the floor. He slowly turned his head to stare at Apollo.

Apollo grinned sheepishly. "Now, before you say anything - "

"You're even worse than Ero-Sennin," Naruto whispered. He unconsciously edged away from Apollo. "Ero-Sennin isn't the Super Pervert anymore. _You_ are."

"Who? No, it doesn't matter. Look, Naruto, gods don't have DNA. It wasn't weird. Don't look at me like that! _Why are you looking at me like that?!_ _Naruto!_ "

Hestia laughed.

XxX

It was official.

Kaguya _sucked_.

Because so far, all the gods and goddesses Naruto has met were waayyy better than Kaguya.

And Hestia may possibly be one of the kindest beings Naruto has ever met. She was _awesome_.

If only it was Hestia who had introduced chakra to the shinobi world. There probably wouldn't even be any shinobi, since everyone would be nice and pleasant to each other.

XxX

"He's a good kid," Hestia said.

Apollo smiled. "Oh yeah. It could've been a lot worse. He doesn't have the arrogance of Heracles or the rashness of Theseus or the insecurity of Phaethon. I lucked out with him."

Hestia turned on Apollo with a knowing smile. "You couldn't refuse Artemis's request to take care of him, could you."

Apollo fumbled for a bit before sighing. "I was going to refuse at first, but. . . she asked for my _help_ , Hestia. I've never seen her so vulnerable and afraid before. She hid it well, but I know my little sister better than anyone."

"That's what you do for family," Hestia hummed. "So what does she think of him?"

Apollo froze. "Yes. _That_."

Hestia whirled around. "What do you mean?!"

Apollo coughed. "Umm, well, you see. . . Artemis hasn't seen him yet since the night she dropped him off."

Hestia nodded sadly in understanding. "Ah, yes, the Ancient Laws - "

Hestia stopped abruptly. She narrowed her eyes.

Apollo winced. She figured it out.

"The Ancient Laws don't apply to Naruto since there's not a drop of mortal blood in him." Hestia's expression looked as if it was carved from stone. "Which means that Artemis hasn't seen Naruto of her own volition."

Apollo shrugged helplessly. "Yeah. She's choosing to stay away. I can do many things, but controlling Artemis is not one of them. I haven't been able to convince her so far."

Hestia was silent for a moment. "I'll go talk to her."

Apollo backed away slowly.

Hestia's aura, normally warm and comforting, was filled with a burning determination. There were flames in her brown eyes, not the harsh explosions that burned in Ares's eyes but rather the gentle flames found in the hearth.

And at that moment, Apollo was reminded of just why Hestia wasn't an average goddess but rather the Eldest Olympian.

XxX

Naruto woke up feeling content for once. He didn't have a nightmare that night.

When he was first reborn in this world, he had nightmares practically every time he went to sleep. It was understandable, really. Losing his precious people, being in a new world, and the mental scars from the Great Fourth Shinobi War all culminated into a lot of restless nights.

But recently, the nightmares were fading. And last night, Naruto didn't have a nightmare at all.

Perhaps one reason for that was because of Hestia yesterday. Naruto had been freaked out at first by her appearance, but she was too nice.

It had taken all of Naruto's willpower to not call her Hestia-nee-chan. Unfortunately, there weren't any honorifics in English.

And she had fed him ramen! Lots and lots of ramen. Naruto's mouth watered at the memory. Her ramen was almost as good as Ichiraku's - maybe even better.

This was going to be a good day. Naruto can feel it. Maybe he'll finally beat Apollo in an archery fight - a duel where they only used bows to try and take each other down.

Naruto brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, and dressed. He wore long black pants, a black T-shirt, and an orange-and-black jacket. It was similar to his attire in his teenage years.

He still wore black open-toed sandals. Apollo had never understood why Naruto insisted on wearing sandals, but Naruto could never get used to sneakers. They were too. . . confining.

Naruto sleepily jumped over the balcony (who takes stairs?) and landed lightly on the floor. He strolled over to the dining room, already planning out what to make for breakfast. Pancakes sounded good.

One bad thing about living with Apollo is that he can't cook. At all. So either Naruto cooked, or they had takeout. The takeout wasn't bad, since Apollo only got food from 5-star restaurants, but over the years, Naruto has gained an appreciation for home-cooked meals.

Most shinobi did after a while.

He walked into the dining room. The kitchen was deeper inside.

"Morning, Apollo," Naruto yawned as he made his way past the sun god's tense form. "Morning, Artemis."

Naruto took another 3 steps before he froze. Wait. _What?!_

He spun around, eyes wide in shock.

Artemis sat at the round table.

Naruto couldn't move. He couldn't even speak. He could only stand there, staring dumbly at Artemis.

Artemis broke the silence after a long uncomfortable moment. "How are you, Naruto?"

Naruto didn't quite know how to respond.

XxX

There was a secret that Naruto has never told anyone else before. He likely never will.

Naruto Uzumaki had given up on a dream before.

He can still recall that one day when Jiji had delivered his monthly living expenses, the question he had asked Jiji.

_Why don't I have a mom and dad?_

Once, before he truly even knew what an Hokage was, Naruto had a dream of having parents.

He wanted to have a mom who would hug him and say to him "Welcome home" when he came home.

He wanted to have a dad who would be proud of him whenever he learned a new jutsu or pulled an awesome prank.

But no matter what he did, that dream could not come true.

It didn't matter how hard Naruto worked, it didn't matter if Naruto never gave up and if he never ran away.

Becoming Hokage was possible. Having everyone accept him was possible. Protecting his precious people was possible. But having a mom and a dad?

It was never going to happen.

And so, for the first and last time in his life, Naruto had given up on a dream. Because what was the point of having a dream if it would only bring pain and sadness in the end?

But then Naruto was reborn. He had been dead and then he was alive in a new world with a fresh start.

More importantly, he had a _mother_.

She wasn't a conventional mother, true, but _she was his mother_.

Truth be told, back when Kurama had first told him that Artemis was his mother, Naruto had been speechless. Not from shock. Not from disbelief.

It had been from an overwhelming _hope_.

Hope that perhaps this time around, Naruto would finally be able to have a mother who would welcome him home and hug him and scold him and laugh with him and maybe even sometimes laugh _at_ him.

His dream, his childhood dream, his _first_ dream, was coming true.

But then it hadn't.

On the night he had been born, Artemis had _left him_. She had abandoned him.

 _And_ _she was his mother_.

She wasn't some nameless villager. She was the one person in the world that should've loved him unconditionally.

It _hurt_.

XxX

It was because of her eyes.

Naruto had been more than ready to tear into Artemis, to make her understand how he feels. He may not punch her physically like he had with Minato, but he's been told that his words can cut deeper than any blade.

But then Naruto saw her eyes. Silver. The color of the moon.

They were the exact same eyes as his.

She was his _mother_.

Did he really want to try to cause her pain?

No. Absolutely not. That's not who Naruto is.

And so, instead of furiously shouting at Artemis, Naruto simply said one word.

"Why?"

Artemis was momentarily caught off guard by his calm tone, but she quickly regained her composure. "Naruto, I'm sorry - "

" _Why did you leave me all alone_?!"

Silver light danced agitatedly on Artemis's skin. "I. . . I was in a new situation. Gods don't like change, Naruto. When you were born, I had no idea what to do. I was scared that I would somehow mess things up, or that something bad would happen. I was never supposed to have a child. It was easy for me to just pretend you didn't exist."

"Do you hate me?" Naruto bluntly asked.

Artemis stood up, the chair crashing into the wall behind her. " _Never_. I could _never_ hate you, Naruto."

_Kurama. I know you're still asleep, but please. Just this once. Help me out here._

Kurama didn't reply, but Naruto felt a sense of confirmation. Artemis was telling the truth.

Naruto unconsciously relaxed, all the tension and fear that's formed over the last year and the half dissolving away like it was never there.

His mother didn't hate him.

"But just because ignoring you was the easy thing to do doesn't mean it was right."

His mother was here.

"I was wrong. And for that, I'm sorry."

She was his _mother_.

_What would Jiraiya do?_

"I forgive you."

Artemis's silver eyes widened. "What?"

Naruto smiled. "I forgive you."

A beat.

"Just like that?" Artemis asked incredulously.

Naruto nodded. "Yup."

"Even though I abandoned you? Even though I caused you pain?"

"Yes," Naruto shot her a bright, genuine smile. "Because sometimes, you forgive people simply because you still want them in your lives."

Artemis blinked before silently walking up to Naruto, her face impassive. Naruto looked at her warily, unsure of what she would do.

Then she did the most shocking and astonishing thing of all.

Artemis reached out with her small arms and drew Naruto into a tight hug.

Naruto tensed up, his eyes widening. After a second, he relaxed and hugged her back.

It felt warm and comforting in her small arms. Naruto breathed in. She smelled good, a combination of fresh air and the forest. And at that moment, Naruto realized just how foolish he had been.

Artemis, hate him? How could he possibly have thought that? Hadn't Minato and Kushina taught him that a parent's love is boundless and infinite?

Artemis may be a goddess. But she was still a mother, and one thing Naruto had learned from Kushina was that a mother will always, _always_ love her child. In his loneliness and pain, Naruto had forgotten that fact. It just took Artemis's embrace for him to remember it again.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Artemis whispered.

"It's fine. You're here now. That's all that matters. Just don't leave me again."

There were suddenly sniffling sounds in the room. Artemis and Naruto pulled away, confusedly looking at each other. It didn't come from either of them.

Then, in unison, they both turned to Apollo, who was sniffling into a handkerchief. "It's. . . it's so beautiful. Mother and son, reunited at long last. Here, let me think of a haiku. . ."

Artemis and Naruto stared at Apollo.

"Just to be clear," Naruto began, "I _don't_ forgive you for leaving me with _him_ though. You have no idea how much of his 'poetry' I was subjected to."

Artemis shuddered. "Oh gods, that must've been terrible."

"Hey! My poetry isn't bad - _why are you two raising your eyebrows at me_? Oh wait, you two just raised your eyebrows the exact same way. That was pretty cool. So cool, in fact, that it deserves its own song - "

"Come with me, Naruto," Artemis led Naruto out of the room, ignoring Apollo's anguished cries. "I made breakfast for you."

Naruto brightened. "Really? You mean fresh, good food?"

Artemis nodded. "Yes. I hunted and prepared it myself."

"Yes!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Two days of good food in a row!"

"From what Apollo has told me, you've never been outside of this mansion before, have you?" Artemis inquired.

Naruto shook his head.

Artemis regarded him sadly. "You poor child. The wilderness is literally in your blood. To be confined indoors for your entire life. . . It must've been agonizing."

"You have no idea," Naruto said with a haunted look. "All I want to do is be among the trees again. I haven't been in a forest since the night I was born."

As a shinobi of Konoha and a friend of Tenzo, Naruto had gotten used to being surrounded by an endless green.

"Then it's settled. Tonight, we're going out to hunt," Artemis announced.

"What? Hold up, isn't that dangerous?"

Artemis smirked. "Masking your presence is child's play to a Hunter. And besides, I am the goddess of hunting, the wilderness, and the forests. It would be criminal for my child to experience none of them."

Naruto stared at her, shocked. Then an excited grin spread across his face. "Finally! I've waited for so long! I'm going to be the best hunter you've ever seen, believe it!"

"We'll see," Artemis's expression shifted. Naruto didn't know what it was, but it looked almost. . . regretful. "Before that, however, tell me about yourself. I've missed a lot, and I know I can never regain that time, but. . ."

Naruto smiled understandingly up at her. "My name is Naruto. My likes are ramen and my precious people. My dislikes are people who hate others, people who seek revenge, and people who cause others pain. My hobbies are destroying Apollo in video games and taking care of plants. And my dream for the future. . ."

Naruto's eyes unfocused. Before, his dream had been to find more precious people, to escape the crushing loneliness. But now. . .

Naruto gave Artemis a beaming smile of joy and hopefulness.

"I want to get to know and spend time with my mom."

XxX

"Thank you. I don't know how you convinced her, but thank you."

Hestia only smiled mysteriously from where she was tending to the flames. "You're welcome, Apollo."

"I don't understand something though. How did you know that he would forgive her?" Apollo tilted his head. "Naruto could've hated Artemis. This could've easily backfired."

"I knew he would forgive her because of one thing," Hestia absently poked at the coals with a stick.

"What is that?" Apollo frowned in confusion.

"When you left us alone yesterday because you had to go to a musical performance 'you just couldn't miss' - "

"It was my son's first violin recital."

Hestia paused, looking at Apollo in surprise. "Oh. I didn't know."

"Yeah."

"You're a great dad, Apollo."

Apollo grinned, but his eyes were a bit sad. "Thank you. Anyways, continue?"

"Well, after you had left, Naruto showed me some papers."

Apollo thought back to a few months ago when he caught Naruto hiding some papers from his view. At the time, he had thought it was just bait to lure him into a trap. But apparently it was actually something legitimate.

Which meant, when Naruto had smirked at him. . .

Had. . . had Naruto been bluffing?!

That little _scoundrel_. If Apollo didn't know any better, he'd swear that Naruto was a son of Hermes.

"And what he had written on those papers is the reason why I knew he would forgive Artemis," Hestia continued. She smiled. "After all, you can't possibly seize peace in this world if you can't even forgive your own mother."

Apollo blinked. "Say what now?"

"Ask Naruto. I won't betray his confidence," Hestia's eyes narrowed slightly, as if daring Apollo to try and make her. Apollo considered it for a moment before dropping the idea. He wouldn't do that to Hestia.

"Huh. Alright. I need to go find out what he had written on those papers." Apollo's hands twitched. He also needed to teach Naruto yet _another_ lesson about exactly why small insignificant children shouldn't con gods.

"You do that."

Apollo turned to leave, but then thought of something. "Hey, you think my poetry is good, right?"

Hestia coughed lightly. "Oh. Umm, yes. Of course."

Apollo grinned. "I'll take that as a yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

" - then I beat Apollo _twenty times in a row_ with Pikachu! I am the very best, like no one ever was!" Naruto's victorious grin morphed into a scowl. "He went sulking for hours afterwards, though, and then cursed me to talk in rhyme for a whole _week_."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "That does sound like my brother."

"And they weren't even good rhymes! They sucked!"

Naruto looked down at the deer meat he was eating. It was good; perfectly seasoned, with a hint of smoke. Combined with an apple and a freshly baked loaf of bread, it was the ideal meal for a growing shinobi.

It was also the very first meal his mother had cooked for him.

Naruto had never eaten something so delicious before.

They were inside Naruto's room. It was bare. The walls were a soft orange. There was a bed and a desk. And that was it. Apollo had tried to give Naruto posters of his own grinning godly face once, but Naruto had refused. Vehemently.

"Okay, but for real though? Apollo might be annoying sometimes, but he's a great uncle. Probably the best uncle I could ask for," Naruto grinned. "I'm glad you left me with him and not with your dad."

Artemis tried to imagine Naruto living with Zeus. She couldn't help it. She let out a laugh. "Now _that_ would be hilarious."

Naruto was so bright and cheerful, and Zeus was. . . Zeus. Not a great combination.

Naruto suddenly focused intently on Artemis, who gazed at him curiously. "I almost forgot. You didn't introduce yourself yet."

Artemis frowned. "I did. I am Artemis, the goddess of the wilderness, the Hunt, the moon, the forests - "

"No, not like that," For a second, Naruto's eyes glazed over, lost in memories. "I'm talking about your name, your likes, your dislikes, your hobbies, and your dream for the future. Y'know, a classic introduction."

Artemis blinked. "Oh. In which case, my name is Artemis. My likes are hunting and being with my Hunters. My dislikes are Apollo when he's annoying, men who act like idiots, and people who taint the forests. My hobby is archery, and my dream for the future. . . I haven't really thought about it."

Naruto tilted his head. "You haven't really thought about it?"

Artemis shrugged. "What dream would a goddess have?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but then hesitated. What dream _would_ a goddess have? "Huh. Fair enough."

"Indeed," Artemis's eyes gained a slightly amused glint. "I must say, I'm rather impressed by what you did to Apollo during that one Council Meeting."

Naruto gave a foxy smirk. "Is that so? And were the other gods also impressed?"

"Hermes wishes to shake your hand," Artemis confided. "Although I am curious. How did you manage to prank Apollo?"

"A combination of trickery, deceit, and planning," Naruto said. "He never expected it."

"And how did you make it so that the dye and glitter and marker would _stay_ on Apollo's being?" Artemis asked. "He could've just changed forms or vanished the. . . color."

"Did I mention the planning part?" And suddenly, Naruto looked downright devious. "We had a tournament a few months before, and the winner was allowed to give the loser one command. I won, and I kept the command in reserve until the perfect opportunity presented itself."

Artemis frowned. "I can't imagine Apollo holding up his end of the agreement - "

"It was enforced by the Styx."

Artemis paused. "You're good."

"I know," Naruto grinned.

They chewed contentedly, falling into a comfortable silence.

"I'm amazed, Naruto," Artemis said after a while.

Naruto glanced over, confused. "Huh? Amazed at what?"

Artemis smiled at him. "Your capacity to forgive others. I had not expected this when I came here today."

Naruto looked away, slightly embarrassed at the praise. "Oh, umm, thanks."

Artemis nodded. "Indeed."

"I mean, it's not that amazing or anything," Naruto said modestly, rubbing the back of his head. "And besides, I _wanted_ to forgive you, y'know?"

"You did?" Artemis looked genuinely confused.

Naruto stared at her. "Of course! We're _family_. You're my _mother_."

Artemis regarded Naruto for a few moments. "I can see why Hestia likes you."

"You've spoken to Hestia about me?" Naruto asked in shock.

"She was the one that convinced me to come today," Artemis admitted.

Naruto's eyes widened. Then he smiled. "Hestia is awesome."

"She is."

XxX

The day passed by quickly, with Naruto filling Artemis in everything that's happened so far in his life. Soon, the sun began to set and the moon began to rise into the night sky.

Artemis stared out the window, waiting patiently for the sun to finish setting.

Unfortunately, she was the only patient being in the room.

"Can we go yet?" Naruto whined.

"No."

"Is it time yet?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No."

"How about - "

"Naruto. Shut up."

Naruto obeyed - although he didn't stop the incessant tapping of his foot.

Artemis sighed. Perhaps motherhood would be slightly more difficult than she had thought.

Although, looking down at Naruto, who could barely contain his excitement at finally being able to leave the mansion, reunite with the forest, hunt under the moon, and, above all, spend time with her. . .

Artemis smiled. Motherhood may be difficult, but then again, nothing good in life comes easy.

XxX

"When you said that you would conceal my presence. . ." Naruto's eyes twitched. "I thought that you would pull out some ancient, arcane magic."

Artemis tilted her head. "Technically, this _is_ ancient magic. The particular spell I used is several thousand years old."

"That's not the point!" Naruto snapped.

Artemis frowned. "Is there a problem?"

"Yeah!" Naruto gestured at himself. Auburn hair, silver eyes, whisker marks on the cheek. Perfectly normal. What _wasn't_ normal, however, was the length of his hair or the feminine features he had. There was also something _missing_ between his legs. "Why am I a girl?!"

"Isn't it obvious? While we are in the mansion, you are completely shielded from detection. However, I cannot replicate the mansion's effect out in the wilderness without expending an immense amount of energy that the gods will notice," Artemis explained. "I'd rather not actively draw attention to us."

"Huh? "

Artemis tapped her fingers against her thigh. "Think of it like this. The problem here isn't that the gods will somehow magically sense your presence the moment you step outside the doors. Otherwise, Thalia Grace would've been discovered the day she ran away. No, the problem is that you look so similar to me, any god that happens to glance down at us will instantly know you are my son."

"That still doesn't explain why I'm a girl."

"The best way to prevent discovery is to hide in plain sight. Which is going to look more suspicious: a young boy shrouded in Mist and magic or a young girl that is most likely one of my Hunters? We just need to get you some colored contact lenses, and you'll look just like one of my Hunters."

Naruto nodded slowly. That. . . actually made perfect sense.

It wasn't that Naruto was opposed to looking like a girl. He used the Sexy no Jutsu all the time and he felt no shame in doing so. He was opposed to _genuinely_ being a girl though. He could dispel the Sexy no Jutsu; he couldn't with this. He was a man, damn it!

"Of course, I'll still mask your demigod 'smell.'"Then Artemis smiled amusedly. "Besides, I think I prefer it when you're a girl."

"NO!" Naruto shouted. "I'm a guy! You. . . you're going to change me back into a boy after this, right?"

Artemis smirked. "We'll see."

"Mom!" Naruto cried in protest.

Artemis froze.

Naruto looked at her confusedly. What was the matter -

Oh.

That was the first time that Naruto had called Artemis "mom."

"Umm. . . " Naruto began hesitantly, "Am I allowed to call you 'mom?' Is it too casual for a goddess? I mean, if you don't like it, I can always call you 'mother' or even 'Lady Artem - '"

"No," Artemis said softly. "'Mom is fine.'"

"Alright," Naruto smiled, unconsciously tucking a strand of hair behind his ear.

They stood there in silence for a second looking at each other, both still new to the situation -

Wait. Naruto's head whipped to stare at his hand, mystified. Had he just tucked a strand of hair behind his ear? "Did. . . did I just perform an entirely 'girl' action?"

"I believe you did," Artemis confirmed.

"I'm already being affected," Naruto breathed in horror. He quickly brought the strand of hair back to where it was, then ran his hand through his hair to make it messy for good measure.

"Come along now, child. It's time for the Hunt," Artemis turned around and began walking through the halls. "You shall remain a girl for now. It would be impossible for me to allow you to venture outside otherwise."

"B-but you can't - y'know what, fine." Naruto quickly caught up to her, falling into step. _This was the same as the Sexy no Jutsu,_ he chanted. _This was the same as the Sexy no Jutsu._

(Except that, unlike the Sexy no Jutsu, Naruto was _actually_ a girl.)

"Don't blink," Artemis instructed.

"Huh - GAH!" Naruto brought his hand up to rub at his eyes, but Artemis grabbed his wrist.

"Don't rub at it either," Artemis warned. "I just materialized colored contact lenses in your eyes, and you don't want them to end up in the back of your skull."

Naruto stilled immediately. "Can that happen?!"

Artemis shrugged. "Probably. I don't see why not. I''ve never used these before. They're one of Apollo's creations."

"Say no more," Naruto gingerly lowered his hand.

Artemis reached the mansion door. She turned around, facing Naruto. "Are you prepared?"

"I was _born_ prepared," Naruto grinned. Technically, he was. After all, he was _reborn_ with all of his memories and shinobi skills intact. And there's not much more _prepared_ you can get.

"That's the spirit," Artemis opened the door and stepped out, beckoning Naruto to come after her.

Naruto hesitantly took a step forward. And another step. And another. And finally, for the first time in a year and a half, he was outside again.

He breathed in fresh air, basking under the moonlight.

Artemis was watching him with a small smile on her face. "How does it feel to be out at last?"

"It feels. . . _awesome_ ," Naruto whispered. But at the same time, he felt a small pang of guilt and regret.

Naruto had been confined for a year and a half indoors. Kurama had been confined for nearly a century, from Mito to Kushina and finally to Naruto. Was this how it had felt for Kurama? For _all_ the Bijuu? To be trapped inside their Jinchuuriki, never breathing in any fresh air, wishing desperately to get out and be free?

And not only that, Kurama had _willingly_ stayed inside Naruto. Kurama had given up all of _this_ to remain by Naruto's side and be Naruto's partner.

Naruto's appreciation for Kurama suddenly grew tenfold. Naruto resolved to hug Kurama the moment he woke up, whether Kurama wanted to or not.

"Then let's go." With that, Artemis _blurred_ , sprinting away and melting into the shadows.

_She's fast!_

Chakra pumped through Naruto's body as he sprinted behind Artemis. She stuck to the shadows, and half the times Naruto could barely see her, instead relying on his other senses.

 _Which was probably the point_ , Naruto realized. _She's keeping to the shadows to minimize the chances of discovery. Good idea._

Naruto retraced Artemis's path, copying all of her movements. Where she stepped, he stepped. Where she jumped, he jumped. She was showing him the optimal route for maximum stealth, and Naruto was going to follow it.

Within a minute, they were in the forest.

Naruto gasped, feeling a sudden rush of energy. He focused within himself. Ever since he was reborn, he could sense two energies inside of him.

One was chakra. The other was whatever he had received from Artemis.

Up until this moment, the energy had lay dormant within him - almost as if it hadn't met the prerequisites of awakening. But now, it was thrumming with power, vibrating happily. Under the moon, in the forest, out in the wilderness. . . Naruto felt _alive_.

Experimentally, Naruto tried to manipulate the energy. It still didn't feel fully awakened. He tried to channel and direct the flow like he did with chakra, drawing it out from the source and circulating it through his body -

His perception of the world exploded.

Naruto's senses sharpened exponentially. Sight, hearing, smell. It felt like the first time Naruto had entered Sage Mode - only better. Naruto looked around in wonder, suddenly hyper-aware of everything in the forest, from the tiny spider that was lazily weaving a web to the gurgling of the rushing stream.

 _Everything_ in the forest, every cracked twig, every indentation, every small detail that Naruto would've ignored before now told Naruto a story of what had been there, where they had been, and where they had gone.

"How is it?" Artemis had turned around and was now casually leaping backwards.

"I can sense everything!" Naruto grinned in exuberation. "I can _see_ everything!"

"Then tell me: what does that tell you?" Artemis pointed down at a small depression in the ground. A partial print. Virtually invisible. To Naruto, however, the information it held was as clear as day.

"Rabbit. Fully mature, though a little bit on the light side. Traveled forward to that bush, then shifted directions and headed about 24 degrees to the left for about 12 meters. Stood still next to that raspberry bush before heading north."

Naruto didn't know _how_ he knew these things. It just popped into his mind instinctively. Observation, analysis, and conclusion all took place in a split second without any conscious thought.

Intuition, taken to the next level. Was this what it meant to be half-god?

"Not bad," Artemis halted abruptly, dropping down and landing without a sound. Naruto jumped down next to her.

"How does this work?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Artemis smiled. "I am the goddess of the wilderness, the forests, and the Hunt. As my child, you may not have as flashy powers as a child of Zeus, but make no mistake: heightened senses and an intuition that approaches divination can be as powerful as any lightning bolt."

"I'd take this over lightning bolts any day," Especially since lightning bolts were Sasuke's thing.

"They are rather overrated," Artemis agreed.

Naruto opened his mouth - but then shut it in wonder when he noticed something. "I can see a feather stuck to a branch 30 feet ahead of us, and at the same time, I somehow know of the owl that just took flight about 180 feet behind us _without looking at it_. I didn't hear it, I didn't see it, I just somehow _knew_."

Artemis nodded. "As I said: you possess an intuition that approaches the level of divination. It is what mortals would call a 'sixth sense.'"

"Can you punch me real quick?"

Artemis blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, uhh, I wanna test something out. Please? I'll dodge it, promise," Naruto eagerly stood there, awaiting to be hit.

". . . very well, then." Artemis's hand whipped out to strike Naruto's head - but Naruto was already out of the way, having started moving _before_ the attack even happened.

"I sensed your attack before it even started," Naruto looked amazed.

"Yup. That would be the intuition at work," Artemis affirmed.

Naruto could draw many parallels between this and Sage Mode. They weren't the same - Sage Mode was powered by nature chakra whereas this was powered internally by the divinity within Naruto - but they were still scarily similar.

"I must say, I was rather surprised that you kept up with me during our journey here. Your speed and agility was exceptional," Artemis complimented. "As expected of my child - "

"Please don't say that," Naruto hurriedly interrupted.

"Why?"

"It makes you sound like an Uchiha."

Artemis frowned. "What is an 'Uchiha?'"

"It's. . . a thing in a video game. Just. . . please don't ever say 'as expected of my child' or 'Hn.'" Naruto begged.

"Very well," Artemis gave him a confused look but didn't push further. "Where is your bow?"

Naruto didn't respond.

"Naruto?"

Naruto turned to Artemis with a sheepish grin. "I may have, umm. . . I forgot to bring my bow."

Artemis stared. "You forgot."

"Hey, in my defense, I was really excited, okay?" Bringing equipment had completely slipped his mind.

Artemis sighed. Then she flicked her hand and another silver bow appeared. "Here, you can use this."

Naruto took the bow, weighing it in his hand. He tested the string before nodding in satisfaction. It was a good bow. "Thanks. Umm, I need arrows too."

"The bow is magical. Just pull back on the string."

Naruto pulled back the bowstring, and a silver arrow automatically appeared. "Okay, now that's cool. Alright, so what are we hunting?"

"There is a - "

"Hold on a second," Naruto held up his hand. "I have to do something first."

XxX

In the history of the Elemental Nations, there was hatred. Rivalries and enmity between nations have been around since almost the beginning.

One such enmity existed between Konoha and Iwa, stemming from decades of hostility and outright hatred.

Even in times of relative peace, the hatred did not fade away, instead simmering with a cold rage. However, Konoha and Iwa couldn't display their hatred for each other with normal methods, namely killing, torturing, burning, looting, and pillaging. Those were generally frowned upon during peacetime.

But name calling? That was fair game.

Konoha shinobi referred to Iwa shinobi as "Rockheads" to suggest that, instead of brains, they had rocks for head. An insult to their intelligence and wisdom.

Iwa shinobi, on the other hand, referred to Konoha shinobi as "Tree Huggers" to suggest that Konoha shinobi were weak and, instead of spending their spare time honing their skills, they hugged trees.

And tonight, for possibly the first time in shinobi history, "Tree Hugger" stopped being an insult and instead became a fact.

Artemis watched on confusedly as Naruto walked up to a tree, gazed reverently up at it, then gave it a crushing hug.

_I've missed you, Holy Log._

XxX

"The target is a deer. Your objective is to strike her down before dawn."

" _My_ objective? Aren't you also hunting tonight?" Naruto frowned.

Artemis shook her head. "For now, I'll simply observe. I wish to see your skills and abilities."

"Got it," Naruto closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses. "So, which deer is it? Is it the one about 240 meters to the left?"

"Negative."

"The one standing next to the. . . I don't even know that plant's name. The one with the sharp, spiky leaves?"

"Negative."

"Is it the one drinking from the stream about 80 feet ahead of us?"

"Affirmative."

Naruto opened his eyes, grinning. "This will be easy. Forget about striking her down before dawn; I'll do it in less than an hour."

Artemis's eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

"Definitely. It's a _deer_. It can't fight back. What is it supposed to do?" Naruto focused intently on the deer. Slowly, the world around him became muted until only Naruto, Artemis, and the deer existed. Everything else became inconsequential, insignificant.

 _Let the Hunt begin_!

In less than a second, Naruto crossed the distance, an arrow already nocked and aimed to fire. He let it loose, watching in satisfaction as it streaked towards the deer's head - and then the deer _blurred_ out of existence, leaving behind distinct afterimages.

What the hell just happened?

Naruto turned his head to see the deer already a solid hundred feet away. It seemed to be glaring at him.

"It will be easy, hmm?" Artemis stood next to Naruto, observing his reaction.

"That. . . is not an ordinary deer," The deer in question had already stopped glaring at Naruto and was instead bending down and nibbling at something on the ground. Naruto's hands twitched. Was the deer _ignoring him?_

"No, it most certainly is not," Artemis tilted her head. "So, what shall you do now?"

Naruto's answer came in the form of him jumping straight up and onto the branch of the tree. It trembled under his weight but didn't crack. He shot several more silver arrows at the deer, eyes narrowing when the deer dodged them all effortlessly.

This may actually be difficult.

Time to mix up his strategy. Naruto shot three arrows directly up before shooting another three arrows in rapid succession.

The first arrow reached the deer, who sidestepped to the left - straight into the path of the second arrow. It couldn't dodge to the right again because Naruto's third arrow would hit it. It couldn't go backwards, and going forwards was out of the question. The only option was to dodge to the left again - where it will then be trapped by the 3 arrows Naruto had shot directly upwards and was now making its way down in a triangle formation.

Naruto smiled victoriously. He had won. Now all he had to do was to wait for the deer to dodge to the left, and then -

The deer dashed _forward_ , bending its legs and sliding on the ground, the second arrow passing harmlessly over its head. Then it instantly stood up again and cocked its head at Naruto, as if asking him: _Is that all you've got?_

Was the deer. . . taunting him?!

"Not bad," Artemis sat in the branch in the tree besides his. "You tried to predict where the deer would dodge."

"But the deer can read the trajectories of my arrows. It knows where the arrow will end up, and it's fast enough so it will be able to dodge every time," Naruto tapped his fingers against the bow, deep in thought. "Which means. . ."

Naruto shot 3 arrows at the deer once more, who faced Naruto defiantly. Naruto could see the deer tense up in preparation to dodge - then relax when it became clear that all 3 arrows wouldn't even come close to hitting it.

The deer glanced at Naruto skeptically, as if saying: _Dude, seriously?_

Naruto smirked. He could never have done this back in his old body, but now, Naruto was able to pull off some Itachi-level projectile attacks.

The first arrow flew upwards in an arc - where the second arrow intercepted it, knocking the first arrow downwards right into the third arrow, skewing its path sideways to ricochet off of a rock on the ground and upwards to the deer's underbelly.

The arrow neared the deer, getting closer and closer - and then the deer vanished again in a burst of speed, the arrow hitting nothing but air.

"What?! That's _actually_ dumb!"

"Ricocheting arrows to mask both their trajectories and final targets. . . I must say, I'm impressed," Artemis commented.

"The deer is still fast enough to react in time and dodge the arrows though," Naruto gritted his teeth. He sent several more arrows ricocheting off of trees and rocks, hoping to strike the deer. They all missed.

 _Even_ Itachi _would have difficulty hitting this thing!_

The deer stood tall and proud, staring down Naruto with its intelligent eyes. Its antlers - wait.

Antlers?!

Naruto had been focused more on its smug expression. His eyes hadn't moved upwards to look at the top of the deer's head at all this entire night, almost as if there was an invisible force stopping him. Even now, he could barely see what was on top of the deer's head.

Genjutsu! Or something equivalent to it!

The moment he realized that, the illusion lifted, revealing large golden antlers sitting on top of the deer's head. Its hooves were bronze. That was probably the most expensive deer in the world.

Naruto blinked. Dispelling that illusion was infinitely easier than dispelling a Genjutsu. He didn't even need to stab himself.

"That's not just a deer. That's a hind - the Ceryneian Hind!" Naruto whirled around to stare incredulously at Artemis. "You sent me to hunt the _Ceryneian Hind_ on my _first_ Hunt?!"

Artemis inclined her head. "What better way to gain an understanding of your skills and personality than watching you hunt an unhuntable prey?"

"Unhuntable?" Naruto frowned. "Didn't Heracles capture her once?"

"Heracles?" Naruto edged away slowly from Artemis as she began to literally radiate danger. "I was under orders from Father to temporarily lift my blessings and allow that scum to capture her."

"Oh. That, uhh, wasn't in the myths."

"I would think not. There are _many_ important things missing from Heracles's myth," Artemis took a deep breath. When she exhaled, she was calm again. "Do me a favor, Naruto, and never _ever_ end up like Heracles."

"I won't," Naruto assured. Heracles had a terrible madness, having beaten his own teacher to death over the head with a lyre. Even Naruto didn't kill anyone when he was in Hatred Kyuubi form.

He turned to the deer, who was watching him smugly, every so often turning her head so that Naruto could admire her antlers from all directions. "Unhuntable, huh? So I was never meant to capture her or kill her?"

Artemis nodded. "Indeed. I apologize for the deception, but it was the best way for me to see the full extent of your skills. If you knew it was an impossible task from the beginning, I do not think you would have tried as hard."

"Yeah, it's fine. At least you didn't TOSS ME OFF A CLIFF or anything," Naruto coughed lightly.

"Right. . ." Artemis gave him a confused look but didn't ask. "In any case, let us begin the Hunt for real. I have stockpiled some - "

"No," Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"No. I said that I would take down the Hind in less than an hour. I gave you my word, and I _never_ go back on my word." Unquenching flames of determination roared to life.

"Naruto. Do you know what 'unhuntable' means? It means it cannot be hunted," Artemis explained dryly.

"I don't care," Naruto brought his hands together in a familiar cross-shaped seal. "I don't quit. I don't run. And I never give up!"

Artemis sighed. "Well, that's good and all, but I'm afraid it's futile to - "

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Artemis's eyes widened in shock.

It was like the night he had fought against Mizuki. Clones appeared on every available surface. On the branches, standing parallel to the ground on trees, on the ground. Countless numbers of clones, each with a bow in their hands and an arrow drawn.

The Ceryneian Hind drew back, startled at the sudden multiples of Naruto. It quickly turned around, only to be met with another wall of clones. The Hind was completely surrounded on all sides.

"Alright, listen up, you stupidly-fast Hind! I'm going to say this once, and only once!" Naruto strolled forward, a veritable army of clones behind him. "You have one chance to surrender unconditionally! If you do so, I give you my word that you shall not be harmed. If you do not, then. . . we'll see if you can outrun all of these arrows."

To accentuate his point, all of his clones nocked another 5 arrows into their bows, bringing the grand total to 6.

The Hind nervously stepped back, head twitching wildly side-to-side, as if scanning for a way to get out.

"You are surrounded on all sides! And, in case you're thinking of simply charging and bulldozing past us with your overwhelming speed. . ." Naruto's eyes took on a dangerous glint. "I assure you, in terms of close-combat, you won't even _stand a chance."_

The Hind tilted its head at Naruto challengingly.

Naruto simply smiled. "By all means, go ahead and try it. You think you're fast? _You haven't seen speed yet._ "

The Hind turned to look at Artemis for help, who was still staring at all the clones in astonishment and disbelief.

"She can't help you here," Naruto smiled dangerously. "Besides, she's already allowed you to be captured once. Who's to say that she won't let it happen again? Are you willing to take that gamble?"

Naruto clapped his hands together in triumph. "Surrender now, and you shall be spared. You have three seconds. Three."

The Hind stared at Naruto.

"Two."

The Hind looked unsure.

"One." Naruto raised his hand and the clones prepared to fire -

The Hind dropped down to the ground, reluctantly bowing its head. A clear sign of surrender.

Naruto smiled. "Success."

"What are those?" Artemis spoke up, shock and confusion evident in her voice.

"They're my clones," Naruto said. "Duh."

He winced internally. _Duh?_ Watching those movies had been a mistake.

"Clones?" Artemis repeated. "Okay. How did you form these clones?"

"Umm, I have this energy within me, y'know? So I just kinda shaped it, and my clones appeared." Technically, that was the truth.

"It must've come from your father's side," Artemis muttered. "Naruto. Answer me truthfully. Have you been in contact with your father at all?"

"No," Naruto answered. He refused to acknowledge Kurama as his dad. His father was Minato Namikaze, and Naruto hasn't seen him since Kaguya was defeated and Naruto died.

"I see," Artemis stared intently at Naruto for a second before relaxing. "Well then. That's an interesting power. Clones of yourself. . ."

Naruto grinned. "They're awesome, right? Oh, that reminds me."

The clones dispelled all at once, releasing a fog of chakra smoke.

"So, did I do good, or did I do good?" Naruto crossed his arms, pleased with himself.

"You did surprisingly good," Artemis looked at the Hind still on the ground, who stared mournfully back up at her. "Your strategy was. . . unexpected."

"I know, right? See, I knew that I couldn't outright hunt the deer. That would never work, since it's protected by your divine blessing. Negotiating its surrender, on the other hand, wouldn't negate the blessing. A surrender - coerced or otherwise - isn't covered by the blessing's power," Naruto explained.

"Impressive," Artemis walked forward, bending down next to the Hind. "Instead of trying to fight my blessing head-on and failing miserably like so many others had, you circumvented it entirely by creating a new plan that didn't require any violence at all - aside from verbal threats."

"Yup! Umm. . . you're not mad, right?" Naruto asked worriedly. Gods and goddesses tended to get offended easily, Naruto remembered belatedly, and it would suck if Artemis became mad at him.

"Mad? Of course not," Artemis tapped the deer on the top of its head. It nodded before disappearing once more in a burst of speed. Naruto's senses could barely keep up with it. "You displayed human ingenuity and creativity to take down your foe. Why would I be mad?"

"Umm. . ." Naruto wasn't entirely sure how to answer.

Artemis understood. "Ah. I'm not like the other gods, Naruto. As long as you don't outright disrespect me, then we're good."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. "Understood."

"Although, out of curiosity, if you did reach zero, would you have shot at her?" Artemis awaited Naruto's answer, intrigued.

Naruto smirked. "Nope! It was just a bluff, a con, and a negotiation. If the Hind didn't surrender, then I would've just let her go."

Artemis stared at Naruto incredulously. Then she laughed. "I can see how you managed to prank Apollo. Well played, Naruto. Well played."

XxX

After that, hunting the monsters Artemis had stockpiled was a little too easy.

So easy, in fact, that after watching Naruto make a clean kill while yawning, Artemis created a new rule. "Naruto. From now on, you're only allowed to shoot at my arrows to kill the prey."

"Wait, what?"

And so, Artemis would fire randomly in all directions, and it was up to Naruto to shoot arrows _at_ her arrows to alter the trajectory so that it would hit the moving target.

Slightly more difficult.

"Hey, who's better at archery, you or Apollo?" Naruto asked while firing two arrows in quick succession. The first arrow bounced off of a tree and struck Artemis's arrow, knocking it straight into Naruto's second arrow which sent Artemis's arrow right into the skull of the small bird that had a sharp iron beak. It disintegrated into dust.

Naruto smiled in satisfaction. That was definitely Itachi-level projectile mastery.

"I am, of course," Artemis said dismissively. "Just because he's the god of archery, everyone automatically assumes he's the better one. They're all wrong."

"That's what I thought."

XxX

The moment Naruto stepped out of the forest, he stumbled as his state of perfect awareness faded away.

"I feel. . . blind," Naruto mourned, looking down at the ground. Information no longer instinctively sprang to life in his mind. He was completely cut off. "How do you get used to this?"

Artemis hummed. "Give it some time."

XxX

"So, how was it - Naruto why are you a girl?" Apollo's welcoming grin shifted into a perplexed expression.

"To hide in plain sight," Naruto grumbled. "Speaking of which," Naruto turned to Artemis. "Now that we're back in the mansion, can you turn me back please?"

Artemis hesitated. "Are you sure? I really like the girl you."

"YEAH I'M SURE!" Naruto was a man, damn it!

"Very well," Artemis sighed. She waved her hand, and Naruto glowed silver for a moment. Then it died down, revealing Naruto as a boy once more.

"Thank you," Naruto plucked out the contact lenses, which promptly dematerialized.

"To be honest, I kinda preferred it when you were a girl as well," Apollo chimed in. "You seemed. . . softer and more demure - "

"Apollo, continue speaking and I'll tell Artemis about what happened on The Night."

Apollo shut up immediately. "You swore you would never speak of it ever again."

"Try me."

Apollo shot Naruto a scathing glare but still shut up.

Artemis watched them both inquisitively. "In any case, does Apollo know about your cloning skills?"

"Cloning skills?" Apollo asked. "Do elaborate."

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A Kage Bunshin popped into existence next to Naruto.

Apollo immediately stepped forward and bent down, examining the clone. "How did you do this?"

"I have this energy within me that I personally call chakra. I can mold and shape it into a clone of myself, although it will dispel after a single punch," Naruto delivered this pre-rehearsed line without blinking an eye.

"Chakra? Like the Indian thing?" Apollo scrutinized the clone before punching it in the head. It dispelled, releasing a puff of chakra smoke.

"No, not the Indian thing. I just named it that," Naruto shrugged. "I have no idea what it is."

"What else can you do with this 'chakra?'" Apollo gazed at Naruto with a clinical expression.

Naruto shifted. "I can, uhh. . . create a ball of destruction."

Apollo blinked. "You can do what now?"

Naruto opened his hand and a spiraling blue ball formed. "I call it the Rasengan. I condense my chakra and spin it around, and, depending on the power input, it can either blow someone back or tear right through their body."

"Hit me with it," Apollo offered. "I wanna test it out."

Naruto grinned. "It's a deal."

Then, before Apollo could take it back, Naruto slammed the Rasengan into Apollo's gut. There may have been some repressed anger contained in the Rasengan.

(Because banning ramen for a week was _pure blasphemy_.)

Apollo grunted from the blow, exhaling sharply. "Oh man. That actually hurts."

The Rasengan fizzled out of existence, leaving Apollo with a hole in his shirt and light scratches on his eight-pack.

Whoa. Naruto had put enough chakra into that Rasengan to blow a hole through concrete. Apollo was definitely a god.

"How powerful was it?" Artemis stepped forward and examined the wound - if it can even be called that - on Apollo's stomach.

"It's around the level of one of Ares's angry punches reinforced with his flaming brass knuckles," Apollo estimated. "If I hadn't been bracing my stomach with healing magic, it probably would've made me bleed a little."

"What else do you have?" Artemis had now taken Naruto's hand and was inspecting it, as if looking for an aftertrace or residue. She poked the center of his palm, then sniffed it.

. . . okay then.

"Those two are the only techniques I've discovered so far," Naruto didn't want to reveal anything else yet.

Apollo snapped his fingers in revelation. "This 'chakra' must also be the thing that renders you immune to diseases."

"Probably, yeah."

"Just keep safe, Naruto. If using it ever harms you, inform either Apollo or me immediately. We're dealing with the unknown here," Artemis cautioned.

Apollo nodded. "If you ever deteriorate physically or mentally with no reason, do not keep it a secret. Come to me right away."

Naruto felt slightly guilty about causing them to worry, but not enough to tell them the truth. His reincarnation is a secret he'll take to his grave. "Got it. Don't worry, though. It feels fine whenever I use it."

"That is good," Artemis looked out the window, where the first rays of sunshine were appearing. "My Hunters will be wondering where I am. I'm afraid I have to take my leave."

Naruto looked down. "Oh. You're leaving already?"

"Yes," Artemis hesitated for a moment. "I confess I do not know the norms of a mother saying goodbye to her child - "

"A hug would work," Naruto suggested hopefully.

"A hug would be nice," Artemis agreed.

Naruto stepped up and hugged Artemis once more. A pleasant warmth surrounded him.

 _Hugs_ , Naruto decided, _were even better than ramen._

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. After a while, Artemis gently pulled away from Naruto. "Farewell, Naruto."

Naruto grinned. "See ya."

Apollo waved goodbye. "I'll keep him out of trouble."

And Artemis, with one last look over her shoulder, walked out the mansion door.

Naruto and Apollo stood there in silence for a moment.

"So. How was it?" Apollo finally asked.

Naruto smiled. "I've never been happier. Hey, where's Hestia? I have to thank her."

"Ah. That reminds me," Apollo narrowed his eyes at Naruto and held out his hand. "The papers I caught you with a few months ago. Give it."

Naruto brightened. "That's right! I almost forgot. Here, let me get it real quick."

Apollo blinked, surprised at Naruto's enthusiasm. "Err. . . you're not going to keep it a secret? Deny its existence? Create a diversion to buy you time to destroy the evidence?"

"Nope!" Naruto quickly went into his room and grabbed the stack of papers. Apollo followed him in, looking around Naruto's room.

"I still feel like the walls are a little too bare. Just one poster of my smiling face. I promise it'll lighten up your day - "

Naruto thrust the stack of papers into Apollo's hands to shut him up. Apollo read the words on the top of the page. "The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi?"

Naruto grinned. "It's a book I wrote."

Naruto had read the original book enough times to nearly memorize it. Translating the words into English had been difficult, but Naruto managed it. And, just so it wouldn't be complete plagiarism, he even continued the plot, adding an entire section.

Apollo leafed through the papers, skimming through the lines.

"It's about a ninja who tries to bring peace in the world," Naruto summarised. "He met someone who had once been just as idealistic as he was, but slowly grew bitter and cynical of the world because of the pain he's experienced. But then the hero convinces the villain that peace can still be achieved, and they all live happily ever after."

"And the hero's name is. . . 'Nagato?'"

"Yup," Naruto wasn't going to name the hero 'Naruto.' That would be in bad taste. And, well, the original book had been based off of Nagato, so it's only fair he named the hero Nagato.

"And the villain's name is. . . 'Pain?'"

"Yeah," Because the thing that had killed Nagato's dream had been pain.

"Nagato and Pain. . ."

"Do. . . do you like it?" Naruto shyly asked. He had kept this a secret from Apollo at first because he wasn't sure if it was good or not. Even now, countless edits later, he still wasn't sure if Apollo would enjoy it.

Writing was scary. Naruto had acted confident when he grabbed the stack of papers to show Apollo, but on the inside, he was a quivering mess.

It was odd, really. Naruto had fought and defeated a literal goddess before. He had had countless brushes with death. But now, standing in front of Apollo, anxiously waiting for feedback on his novel, he was scared.

"From what I've seen so far, it's good," Apollo complimented. "I like it."

Naruto smiled. _Wow. I did it._ "Thank you - "

"I'll send this over to Muses Publishing, have them make it a book."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait wait wait you're going to publish it?!"

"Of course," Apollo snapped his fingers and the stack of papers vanished in a flash of golden light. "There. It's on their desk now. They'll have the edited version ready in about a month or so."

Naruto sat back on his bed, stunned. "It wasn't ready yet!"

Apollo waved his hand dismissively. "Oh please. I saw the look in your eyes. It'll probably never be 'ready' if you had it your way. Stop fearing about failure, man up, and just show it to the world. Don't worry, you'll thank me later."

"But - " Naruto spluttered before sighing. "Y'know what? I'll do it."

"That's the spirit," Apollo cheered.

"Just one thing, and this is non-negotiable," Naruto narrowed his eyes, grim and resolute.

"Yeah? Do you want a cut of the pay?" Apollo pulled out a calculator from nowhere, inputting some numbers. "I'll try to get you 37%"

"What?! I'm getting 90% at the very _least_!" Naruto shook his head. "But no, that's not what I want. I want this book published under a pseudonym."

"I can arrange that. What do you want the pseudonym to be?"

Naruto smiled, lost in happy memories.

"Jiraiya."

XxX

Hestia grunted as something slammed into her. It took her a second to realize that Naruto was hugging her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," he whispered.

Hestia smiled and patted his back gently. "You're welcome."

XxX

_1 year, 7 months after._

"Apollo, can you teach me how to manipulate the Mist?"

Naruto had never been able to get the hang of Genjutsu simply because of his abysmal chakra control. But perhaps with the Mist, his luck would be different.

"Manipulate the Mist?" Apollo looked up from the poetry he was writing. Naruto resolved to discreetly burn it later, for the betterment of the world. "It's simple. Just snap your fingers and force your will onto a mortal, and the Mist will take care of the rest."

"What do you mean?"

"The Mist is mostly automatic," Apollo clarified. "You just need to point it in a certain direction, give it commands, and it'll do the rest on its own."

"Huh. So you don't need to shape it or anything?"

"Nope. It's just your will and mental fortitude. Of course, it's simpler to manipulate the Mist when trying to make a person believe what they _want_ to believe, so there's less resistance, but it's not necessary," Apollo shrugged. "It's not that hard."

"Huh. And what about seeing through the Mist?" Naruto didn't want to be surprised again like he had with the Ceryneian Hind. At least that time, nothing had happened. But next time, it may not be antlers that were shrouded in illusion but instead a lethal, vicious monster.

"Awareness," Apollo held up his hand. "What do you see?"

Naruto stared. "Umm. . . your hand?"

"Look again," Apollo commanded. "I have a diamond ring on my thumb."

Naruto blinked. Sure enough, there was a diamond ring on Apollo's thumb - wait. It hadn't been there before. The illusion lifted, revealing Apollo's bare hand once more.

Comprehension dawned on Naruto. "I understand. I knew that there was nothing on your hand, and since I knew, the Mist didn't work. It lifted the moment I realized that there was nothing on your hand."

Apollo nodded. "In other words, be constantly aware of everything. If there are huge mortals grinning at you, they probably aren't mortals. The moment you realize that it's not real, you'll see right through the Mist."

"Wow. That was easier than I thought," Naruto grinned. He had been expecting hours upon hours of training and even more tears of frustration. "Thanks, Apollo."

"No problem," Apollo looked back down at the poetry he was writing. "Say, what's something that rhymes with - "

"I refuse to be an accomplice in your crimes against humanity."

Apollo sighed. "Why do you have to be like this?"

"Because I have _standards_ \- "

Naruto was interrupted by an urgent flashing coming from Apollo's golden bow that sat on the white couch.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Naruto inched away from the bow. If it exploded, he didn't want to be near it.

"I think it's my notifications," Apollo grabbed the bow and tapped it twice. It morphed into a square holographic card. "Hmm, let's see. 26 missed calls from - oh dear. I should get back to her soon. A newsletter: 9 Reasons Why the Soviet Union should be revived - I thought I had already unsubscribed from that. Oh, here it is. It's a message from Father."

"The boss himself? What does he want?"

Apollo didn't respond. He looked rather pale.

"Apollo? Hey, you okay there?" Concern filled Naruto's voice. He knew that Apollo didn't have the best relationship with Zeus - although to be fair, barely anyone had a good relationship with Zeus.

Apollo looked at Naruto, dread and - was that fear?! - in his eyes. "Naruto, you know how yesterday was the Winter Solstice, where I had to go in for a meeting with the Council?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. You _repeatedly_ told me that yesterday was a big day for you, and that if I pranked you, you will flay me alive, heal me, then flay me again."

"Ah, the good old days," Apollo smiled. "That satyr should've known better."

"Wait, you mean you actually _did_ that to someone?!" Naruto asked in horrified astonishment. He had read through Apollo's myths, but not _all_ of them, since he could always just ask Apollo himself.

Besides, Naruto didn't really trust the old myths. While most were reliable, there were always the few that were filled with inaccuracies and exaggerations. He should know - he _lived_ with one of the 'old myths.'

"I'm a god, Naruto," Apollo said, a cold emotionless look on his face. "Does that really surprise you?"

". . . no. Not really."

Gods and goddesses weren't perfect. They did terrible things all the time.

"Yeah," then Apollo glanced back down at the holographic card and the fear returned once more. "Naruto, I'll probably be gone for a few days. Don't get into trouble while I am."

"Is there a problem? What happened?" Anything that filled a god with fear couldn't possibly be good.

Apollo stood up, the holographic card morphing back into a bow. His customary casual outfit disappeared and a sleek white suit materialized instead.

"Zeus's Master Bolt has been stolen," Apollo announced grimly. "I have to track it down."

And with that, a bright golden light radiated from his body. Naruto averted his eyes as Apollo assumed his divine form and blinked out of existence.

When the light died down, Naruto opened his eyes, deep in thought.

The Master Bolt. Zeus's symbol of power, stolen. Naruto was well aware of the ramifications, and they terrified him.

This meant _war_.

_Not again._

XxX

"Did you find the thief?"

Apollo's immortal form seemed to age a decade. After a moment, he whispered, "No."

 _Damn it_.

XxX

"Did you find the thief?"

Artemis lowered her head. "I was unable to track him down."

_Naruto didn't want to fight in a war again. Why couldn't he just enjoy the peace?_

XxX

_2 years after._

"What in Tartarus's name is Poseidon thinking?!" Apollo paced around, playing the violin distractedly.

Even though only the violin was being played, it was as if there was an entire orchestra in the room. Different melodies, all harmonizing with each other, filled Naruto with power, strength, but also a grim determination.

Naruto may not like Apollo's poetry, but his musical talent was the real deal.

"I mean, it's bad enough that Father accused Poseidon of stealing the master bolt, causing Poseidon to be righteously offended and demand an apology. But then Poseidon went ahead and _claimed his child, a child he wasn't supposed to have!"_ Apollo flung his hands into the air, the violin hovering in midair. "It's almost as if he's _asking_ for a civil war!"

"I don't understand why your dad thinks Poseidon stole the master bolt," Naruto thought of all the myths about Poseidon. "Thievery isn't the Sea God's style."

" _Exactly._ But Father's been all paranoid and stuff ever since we tried to overthrow him - "

"To be fair, you _did_ try to overthrow him."

" - but come on! Any fool can see that Poseidon is innocent. But then Poseidon just _had_ to go and claim his son!" Apollo strummed a sharp chord. "And now Zeus is _fuming._ Tensions are at an all-time high."

Naruto sighed. "There's going to be a meltdown, isn't there?"

"A nuclear meltdown that'll make my sabotage of Chernobyl look like a minor baking soda-and-vinegar incident," Apollo aptly summarized. Then he smiled. "Don't worry though; hopefully, it won't result in that. The son of Poseidon will get a quest soon to prove his innocence. If he succeeds, the crisis will be averted."

"And will he succeed?" Naruto asked.

Apollo shrugged. "I hope so. Because if he doesn't, the resulting war will be doomsday-level bad."

Naruto bit his lip. "Let me go out and track the thief down - "

"No," Apollo glared at Naruto. "It's too dangerous. Artemis will kill me."

"But - "

"No. That's final." A golden light burned in Apollo's eyes. "Besides, if Artemis and I failed, what makes you think you can do it?"

". . . fine."

XxX

_2 years, 2 weeks after._

"Tell me the good news," Naruto begged.

Apollo stared at him solemnly. He radiated sorrow and pain.

"No. . ." Naruto whispered. His heart clenched as he prepared to fight in a war again.

"Ha! Sike, you thought!" Apollo broke out in a grin. "Perseus Jackson recovered the Master Bolt and brought it back to Father."

"You _jerk_!" But that still didn't stop the wide smile from spreading on Naruto's face. "So the crisis is over? There's not going to be a war?"

"Nope. This calls for a celebratory haiku, don't you think?"

"You know what?" Naruto fully relaxed for the first time in months, the threat of war no longer looming over his head. He sank into the soft cushions of the white couch, content and happy. "Go for it."

XxX

_2 years, 6 months after._

"These are beautiful," Naruto whispered in awe. He lifted up a silver kunai, inspecting it carefully. He pressed his finger lightly against the sharp edge. When he pulled away, there was a thin line of blood which quickly healed.

On one side, an image of the moon was etched on the blade. On the other side, there was an intricate image of a bow.

Artemis smiled. "I'm glad you like them. I had them custom-made by Hephaestus."

"Thank you," Naruto smiled, placing the kunai and shuriken into his pouch.

"I admit, I had thought that you would prefer to use hunting knives. Kunai knives are rarely used by demigods - in fact, I think you're the only one."

Naruto shrugged. "I just like kunai better. They're more versatile, y'know?"

"The blade is a little too short for my taste," Artemis materialized her own hunting knives in her hands. "I prefer something with a slightly longer reach."

"Yeah, I get what you're saying, but kunai can be thrown," Naruto pointed out. "Besides, I don't really need a weapon in close combat - I only use kunai to defend against bladed weapons."

Artemis inclined her head. "That's right. You have your 'Rasengan.'"

Naruto grinned. "Don't forget about good old-fashioned punches."

Artemis let out a sigh. "How barbaric. I can't imagine Apollo teaching you that."

"It's all me," Naruto promised. "Trust me, in order to defeat someone, sometimes all you need is a good punch - especially if you want to be friends afterwards."

Like with Neji. And Gaara.

Quite a lot of Naruto's friendships had started with a punch.

XxX

_2 years, 8 months after._

"You're in a good mood," Naruto noticed.

Apollo turned to Naruto, grinning. "What gave it away?"

"Your smile has been on your face for about an hour now. Oh, and you're, uhh, literally _glowing_ ," Naruto stared at the bright golden glow on Apollo's skin. Naruto could feel the heat being radiated from Apollo, raising the temperature of the room by a few degrees.

"Ah, of course. Isn't it such a great day?" Apollo beamed.

Naruto edged away slowly. "Should I be scared?"

"Scared? Of course not!" Apollo's lyre materialized and he began playing a happy tune, the music flowing over Naruto and surrounding him with warmth.

"Okay, that's it. What happened?" Naruto demanded.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Apollo's fingers danced over the lyre as the sound of flawless arpeggios filled Naruto's ears.

"Now I do," Naruto slammed his hand down on the table. "Come on! Just tell me already!"

"Well, you see. . . last night, I. . ." Apollo trailed off, a faraway look appearing in his eyes.

"What is it?!" Naruto practically shouted.

Then Naruto recoiled at the expression on Apollo's face. It was the same expression Jiraiya always had on his face whenever he did his _research_. On second thought, perhaps Naruto didn't want to know.

"Never mind, please don't tell - "

"Last night," Apollo interrupted happily, "I was with this most _wonderful_ singer. She was _flaming hot_ , and the things she could do - "

"RASENGAN!"

"HOLY ZEUS WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

XxX

_3 years after._

"Camp Half-Blood is dying," Apollo announced, rage in his eyes.

"What?!" Naruto bolted upright. "What happened?!"

"Thalia's tree was poisoned," Apollo's fists clenched. "The magical boundaries no longer keep out the monsters, and soon, it will be gone altogether, allowing monsters to overrun the Camp."

"Poisoned? You're the god of healing, right? Can't you heal it - "

Apollo shook his head. "No. The poison is older than even me. I don't know what it is. It probably came from the depths of Tartarus."

"I can go help," Naruto pleaded. "They're my family. Your own children are there, Apollo. Your sons and daughters. I can defend the Camp."

"No," Apollo said with finality. "You're staying here."

Naruto briefly considered disobeying but ultimately decided against it. "Fine. But just know that I am obeying you with massive reluctance."

Apollo sighed miserably. "If I thought you could help, I would let you go. But. . . the Camp already has a border patrol in place. Besides, if they succeed on the quest, then everything should go back to normal."

XxX

Everything did not go back to normal.

"Thalia Grace, the daughter of Zeus, was revived from a tree?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Are you for real?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised too," Apollo scratched his head bemusedly. "The Golden Fleece's healing magic was potent enough to bring her back."

"Wow." Greek mythology was _weird_. "Is she technically a dryad?"

Apollo opened his mouth to answer but then paused. "That's a good question. Let's just take the easy route and say she's still a demigod."

"Alright."

XxX

_3 years, 5 months after._

"Oh no," Naruto groaned when he saw the serious expression on Apollo's face. "What is it this time? Did Athena and Poseidon finally get over their rivalry and have children together?"

"I did not need that image in my head, thanks."

"Did Dionysus intoxicate the entirety of Camp Half-Blood by turning everyone's drinks into wine?"

"That actually almost happened once, I hear. Thankfully, Chiron caught it in time."

"Did - "

"Naruto," Apollo steepled his fingers. "Listen to me. Promise me you won't freak out."

"I won't," Naruto nervously waited for Apollo to speak. The fact was, the last two times Apollo had looked like this, he had delivered news about 1) the master bolt being stolen and 2) Camp Half-Blood dying.

Although Naruto was probably overthinking it. It couldn't be too bad, right?

"Artemis was captured by the Titans."

There was a sudden burst of wind as Naruto appeared right in front of Apollo.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go save her," Naruto turned to head for the door, but Apollo grabbed his shoulder.

"Naruto. I'm telling you. _No._ You're staying right here," Apollo said regretfully. "I know how much you want to go out and save her - I want to do the same - but it's too dangerous for you to go."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "When I wanted to go out and help retrieve the master bolt, you didn't let me go, and I obeyed. When I wanted to go out and help Camp Half-Blood, you didn't let me go, and I obeyed."

"And this time," Apollo stared into Naruto's emotionless eyes, "I'm not letting you go either, and you will obey. Don't worry; my little sister is strong. She'll be fine. I'm sure the heroes at Camp Half-Blood and her Hunters are already assembling to save - "

" _ **No.**_ **"** Naruto backed away from Apollo. "No, not this time. I'm going, Apollo, and you can't stop me."

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "I can stop you, and I will."

Naruto nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Apollo, but you know what this means."

Apollo sighed. "Well, at least you listened to me the last two times."

They stood there in the living room, staring at each other.

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_

Three clones appeared, each with a spiraling blue sphere in their hands. They leaped at Apollo.

Apollo simply materialized his golden bow and unleashed a barrage of arrows. The clones dispelled, releasing smoke - and Naruto came bursting out of the smoke, kunai already deflecting Apollo's arrow.

"You don't want to fight me," Apollo warned. He blocked Naruto's stab with his bow, then thrust out his hand and banished Naruto backwards. Naruto landed on his feet on the wall, standing parallel to the ground.

"You know what? I don't care if I have to fight a god! I'm going to save Artemis, and nothing you do can stop me!"

More shadow clones appeared. The air was suddenly filled with kunai and shuriken traveling faster than the speed of sound. A loud boom continuously echoed out in the hall as the sound barrier was broken repeatedly.

"Such a harsh sound," Apollo simply shot two arrows which promptly exploded, releasing a concussive blast and blowing all the shuriken and kunai away from him. "Trust me, I _can_ stop you."

The army of shadow clones launched another barrage of shuriken and kunai, which met the same fate as before.

"Just give up, Naruto. You can't possibly hope to defeat me. I don't want to have to knock you unconscious and imprison you, but I will if I have to," Apollo threatened.

Naruto growled and threw down several black pellets. They released a black smoke upon hitting the ground, obscuring Apollo's vision.

"It's useless," Apollo fired another arrow into the smoke. It unleashed a large gust of wind, blowing all the smoke away.

Naruto charged Apollo, a Rasengan in hand. Apollo rolled his eyes and his bow shifted into a long celestial bronze sword. He blocked the Rasengan effortlessly.

"Why won't you just listen to me?" Apollo asked frustratedly. "You can't leave this mansion! If you go off to save Artemis, you'll be discovered! And what do you think will happen then?"

"I don't care!" Naruto tried to punch Apollo, but Apollo merely stepped back. "I _have_ to go! This isn't like the master bolt or Camp Half-Blood!"

"In this mansion, I literally only have one rule!" Apollo ducked underneath Naruto's kick, then shot a point-blank arrow at Naruto's foot. Naruto dodged it, jumping up and landing on the ceiling. "You're not allowed to go outside without either Artemis or me accompanying you!"

"You know what, I don't _care_ about your stupid rule!" Naruto stopped attacking and landed on the floor, glaring harshly at Apollo. "Those who break the rules may be trash - "

"That's a little too harsh on yourself," Apollo commented.

"But those who abandon their comrades are even worse than trash! And those who abandon their family are the worst trash of all!" Naruto breathed heavily. "And y'know, while you gods may be fine with abandoning your kids - "

"You take that back," Apollo's eyes glowed a bright golden. "I'm forbidden from interacting with them by the Ancient Laws. I do the best I can."

Naruto paused. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. In any case, I _refuse_ to abandon her." _I don't want to explain to Kakashi-sensei why I'm the worst trash of all._

"You may refuse to abandon her, but I'm afraid that's what you're going to do," Apollo lifted up his bow and an arrow appeared. Naruto recognized it as a sleep arrow. "Good night, Naruto. I'm sorry about this."

"Wait!" Naruto cried. "I have a request."

Apollo hesitated. "What is it? I'm not going to allow you to go."

"No no no. I just wanted to know where Camp Half-Blood is."

Apollo scowled. "Why? You're never gonna get there."

"Please? Just humor me," Naruto pleaded.

Apollo sighed. "Fine. Camp Half-Blood, Half-Blood Hill, Farm Road 3.141, Long Island, New York 11954. Happy? Can I shoot you now?"

Naruto suddenly grinned. "Thanks, that's all I needed. Apollo, I'll save her. I promise."

Apollo frowned. "You're not going anywhe - "

And the shadow clone dispelled.

Apollo stood there, flummoxed. "D-did he. . . he just. . . that cunning little - wow."

Then he unleashed a torrent of vile Greek curses that would have quite literally made someone's ears bleed.

XxX

Naruto smirked as he absorbed the clone's memories. His substitution at the beginning of the fight had been flawless. Apollo hadn't expected it or noticed it at all.

There was a reason why he was called the most unpredictable ninja.

A Henge covered him, making him appear like a middle-aged brown haired man with a forgettable face.

Naruto needed to go to Camp Half-Blood. He had no idea where Artemis was, and tracking her down across the entire country would be too slow. At Camp Half-Blood, heroes could help him track down and save Artemis. They also had the Oracle, which was pretty cool.

Besides, Naruto preferred to work in a team. Team 7 may never get back together, but that didn't mean there couldn't be a new Team 7.

His feet barely even touched the ground as he sprinted, guided by nothing but his instincts and a rough map he had memorized of the area.

He picked up speed when he entered the forest. He ran as fast as he physically could, chakra reinforcing his body.

Naruto exited the forest, the sudden drain and emptiness not even slowing him down slightly. He yelped as something fast came barreling down towards him, and jumped over it to dodge it. He heard a loud beeping sound.

It was a car. Naruto quickly caught up to it, then knocked on the window. The driver lazily looked over for a second before turning back to face the road - then he whipped his head back to stare in shock at Naruto.

Naruto simply made a rude gesture at the driver before picking up speed, overtaking the car.

Cars were fast, sure, but he was faster. And he wasn't even in Kurama Mode or Sage Mode yet.

Finally, after about an hour of nonstop sprinting, Naruto arrived at a hill. There was a tree at the very top with a pile of cables next to it.

Naruto gave himself a few minutes to catch his breath and rest up. When his muscles stopped burning, Naruto calmly ambled up the hill - then he stopped abruptly.

He couldn't go as himself. Apollo was right - if the gods discovered him, it would be a catastrophe. Naruto may not even be allowed to _live_ , much less go save Artemis.

Naruto needed to conceal his appearance. He couldn't do much about his demigod "smell," but hopefully, the satyrs and nature spirits wouldn't connect the dots.

Going in as a middle-aged brown haired man with a forgettable face wasn't a good idea. He needed someone else.

Naruto smiled. He knew who he wanted to Henge into.

XxX

Percy Jackson wasn't having a great time. Annabeth was captured. Bianca had joined the Hunters. Thalia was mad at him.

Things weren't going so great.

Then he saw a kid about 10 years old standing on Half-Blood Hill.

"Hey, Chiron? Do you know who that is?" Percy pointed to the kid, who was eyeing the dragon suspiciously.

Chiron paused in the middle of his lecture, looking up. "No, I do not. A new demigod that just happened to wander onto our doorsteps? Right after Bianca and Nico? I do not know if this is a sign of fortune or an omen of terrible things to come - oh dear gods, what is that kid doing?!"

Percy looked again - and then his mouth dropped open in awe. Was the kid fighting Peleus?!

Percy didn't have time to reply before Chiron galloped past him in a blur of speed, appearing right next to the kid. Chiron didn't give the kid a chance to say anything before grabbing him, placing him on his horseback, then galloping back, all in the span of about three seconds.

Centaurs were fast when they wanted to be.

The second Chiron stopped, the kid jumped off, landing on the ground without a sound, eyes wide and staring at Chiron and Percy.

"There was a dragon there!" the kid exclaimed. "A _real_ dragon!"

Chiron chuckled. "Yes, there was. Peleus guards the Golden Fleece for the Camp, and I would appreciate it if you didn't attempt to disembowel him."

"The dragon works for you?" The kid looked a little sheepish.

Chiron nodded.

"Oh. My bad. I was a little startled," the kid rubbed the back of his head, looking down. Then he looked up. "Hey, is this Camp Half-Blood?"

"It is," Chiron confirmed. "And who may you be?"

Percy looked the kid up and down. About 10 years old. Blonde, almost yellow hair. Bright blue eyes. Whisker marks on the cheeks - birthmarks.

The kid grinned at them. "My name's Naruto. I'm a demigod. It's a pleasure to meet you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	4. A Goddess Captured

In his defense, Naruto had thought that it was perfectly normal for a pile of cables to be laying on the ground. Who knew? Perhaps the daughter of Zeus did some things with them. As a result, when he neared it and it suddenly morphed into a _dragon_ , he had panicked somewhat.

Before he could pull out a Rasenshuriken, however, a _centaur_ had suddenly appeared next to him and whisked him away. Naruto had been a split second away from slicing out the centaur's tendons before he remembered that the Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood was Chiron, and while Naruto had made bad first impressions before (the eraser dropped on Kakashi came to mind), he _really_ didn't want to start off his stay at camp by eviscerating _the_ teacher of heroes.

And so, Naruto had restrained himself, even as he was forcibly carried away from the dragon and into Camp Half-Blood. He shuddered slightly as he passed the camp's magical borders - he supposed technically, he counted as a monster (although he can and will punch anyone who even _insinuates_ that Kurama or any of the Bijuu are monsters) - but apparently, since Chiron had carried him in, it counted as an implied invitation.

Chiron smiled warmly at Naruto. "Hello there, Naruto. My name is Chiron, and I'm the Activities Director of Camp Half-Blood. This here is young Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're the guy who recovered the master bolt."

Percy smiled. "That's me. Hey wait, how did you know?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but Chiron interrupted, "Let's take this discussion to the Big House."

They passed numerous cabins - Naruto drew in a sharp breath when he saw a familiar silver glow being emitted from Cabin Eight - and they stopped in front of a large building painted sky-blue with a wraparound porch.

A man reclined in a chair leafed through a magazine, sipping from a Diet Coke. He had curly hair, so black it almost looked purple. He wore a neon orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and had on a pair of purple running shoes. The man looked up when Chiron, Naruto, and Percy arrived.

"Great. Another one of you brats," he grumbled out before turning back to his magazine.

Chiron sighed as he backed up into a wheelchair and rolled over to the man's side. "Mr. D, _please_. At least _try_ to be cordial to our new arrivals."

"There's no need," Naruto bowed down. "It's an honor to meet you, Lord Dionysus."

Dionysus looked up, slightly intrigued. "Oh? You know who I am, boy?"

"Yes, sir."

Needless to say, in a normal situation, Naruto would be extremely indignated by Dionysus's treatment of him. But this wasn't a normal situation. Artemis was captured, and Naruto couldn't afford to make an enemy of a god. If it meant that he has to grit his teeth and be polite to Dionysus, so be it.

Dionysus scrutinized Naruto for a second. "Not bad. Certainly a lot better than Peter Johnson over there. At least this one knows proper respect. What is your name?"

Naruto grinned. "Naruto, sir."

There seemed to be a light purple flame burning in Dionysus's eyes, and Naruto suddenly felt as if he was being dissected by his intense stare. Was this a test? If it was, then Naruto didn't want to fail it. Naruto returned Dionysus's stare with one of his own. The same eyes he used to stare down Nagato and Obito and Madara and so many others.

Of course, it's also possible that Dionysus does this to every new camper to intimidate them and to assert his dominance, but come on. He couldn't be that petty, right?

Dionysus's eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch when, instead of looking away uncomfortably, Naruto met his stare head-on. Then the moment passed, the tension died down, and Dionysus went back to reading his magazine.

Did he pass? Was it even a test? Naruto glanced at Chiron and Percy, but they didn't seem to have noticed the brief battle of wills between Naruto and Dionysus; instead, they were staring incredulously at Dionysus; Percy's mouth hung slightly open.

"I. . . I take it back, sir," Chiron looked shocked. "It appears that you are capable of cordiality."

Dionysus scoffed as he turned a page. "Nonsense. Naruto, I hope you die a painful death."

Chiron's eyes widened even further. "I'm. . . I'm amazed, Lord Dionysus. I had never seen you show such kindness before."

Dionysus finally looked up, an irritated look in his eyes. "What?"

Next to Naruto, Percy had a stunned expression on his face. "You said that Naruto was 'not bad.' And you asked for his name willingly. _And_ you said his name _correctly_. Umm, sir."

Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Oh please. Spare me."

"As you wish, Mr. D. Sit down, Naruto," Chiron smiled kindly at him and gestured at one of the open seats.

Percy hesitated. "May I stay?"

"Certainly. You were, after all, the one who initially discovered Naruto."

Percy and Naruto sat down. Naruto observed with slight amusement as Percy picked the seat farthest from Dionysus.

Clearly, there was no friendship between the two.

"I take it that you're already aware of the existence of the Greek gods?" Chiron asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. The Greek gods moved around with Western Civilization. And I'm the son of one of them."

Chiron nodded. "Indeed. May I ask how you came to this knowledge?"

"Apollo."

At first, Naruto had contemplated acting completely dumb, but that would ultimately work against him. If he wanted to join the quest, he had to establish himself as competent and powerful.

Chiron leaned forward, interested. "Oh? Is Lord Apollo your father?" He looked up above Naruto's head, as if expecting something to pop up.

Naruto shuddered. "No. Definitely not. It's. . . it's complicated."

Chiron nodded slowly. "Do you know your Olympian parent?"

"Nope. Not a clue," Naruto shrugged nonchalantly.

"How do you know Apollo then?" Chiron frowned.

Naruto hesitated. "It's a long story. One I'd rather not tell right now."

"Very well," Chiron leaned back. "There's no need for you to see the orientation film, as you're already aware of all the main points. For now, we'll place you in Cabin Eleven, with all the other undetermined kids."

Naruto nodded - then froze. "Undetermined?"

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment.

"Naruto. . . gods and goddesses, well. They're not exactly the best parents," Percy said tentatively. "There are many demigods here who have never been claimed by their godly parent. But," he added hastily, "You'll probably be claimed soon. Don't worry about it. Here, let me take you on a tour of the camp."

"Yes, that's a good idea," Chiron quickly affirmed. "Thank you, Percy, for volunteering."

Demigods who have never been claimed. . . demigods who have been abandoned by their parent. . .

It's one thing to not interact with their children. Gods are restricted by the Ancient Laws. But to not _claim_ them altogether? To not simply take a second of their day and acknowledge their existence?

Naruto knew what it felt like, not knowing who his parents were. Even worse, there wasn't a reason for the gods to not claim their children. With Naruto, knowledge of his parentage was kept secret from him because, quite frankly, if he knew it at that age, it probably wouldn't have stayed a secret for long. And Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had a _lot_ of enemies who wouldn't hesitate to assassinate Naruto. But the gods? What excuse did they have?

But he'll deal with that later. For now, Percy was gesturing at Naruto to follow him. Naruto stood up, nodded goodbye to Chiron, bowed once more to Dionysus, and left the Big House.

"You didn't have to be so respectful to him, you know," Percy said once they were out of earshot.

Naruto shrugged. "He's still a god. It wouldn't hurt to _not_ be respectful to him. Besides, I'd rather not make any enemies just yet."

Percy coughed. "Oh. Right. Yeah, that's probably a good policy to have."

Campers turned and stared at Naruto as they walked through the camp. Pegasi stable, cabins, archery range, lava rock climbing wall (for the average demigod, difficulty level: high; for anyone who can use chakra, difficulty level: same as tree climbing, only with a little more risk), showers (oh gods did they not have private showers in the cabins?) and so on.

Although it was rather odd. Naruto expected there to be a _lot_ more people at camp. "Hey, where is everyone? Why is there pretty much nobody here?"

"It's winter," Percy shrugged. "This is a summer camp. Right now, only the year-rounders are here."

"Ah, that explains - " Naruto made eye contact with a girl and froze.

She smelled like Artemis.

Well, okay. That wasn't entirely correct. She had her own smell - strawberries and a slight hint of mint along with that distinct _girl_ smell - but she had an underlying scent, faint, barely noticeable, but still unmistakably there: Artemis's scent.

A Hunter of Artemis.

The girl noticed him staring and scowled at him. "What are you looking at?"

Naruto didn't respond.

The girl paused. "Did you hear me?"

To be honest, he didn't know how to act around the Hunters of Artemis. He knew that they had a dislike of the general male population, but at the same time, he did want to get to know them and be friends with them.

Naruto didn't want to accidentally burn any bridges. He's fully aware that his normal personality may be. . . offensive at times to people who are not used to him, so for now, in the presence of the Hunters, he'll just try to be as laid back and chill as possible - in other words, the exact opposite of Apollo.

And who was the most laid back and chill person Naruto knew well enough to mimic?

Kakashi-sensei.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Naruto tilted his head questioningly.

The girl blinked. "Are you stupid or something?"

"I'm afraid not," Naruto smiled apologetically "I wasn't listening, you see. I was busy admiring the flowers behind you."

The girl turned and sure enough, bright purple flowers bloomed. Naruto didn't really understand _how_ they bloomed, since it was winter and it was snowing. Probably magic.

"Oh. Never mind then," the girl walked away.

Percy glared after her. "How rude can she be? You're like, ten years old. What did she _think_ you were doing?"

Naruto observed Percy. While outwardly, Percy's anger seemed to be directed at the girl, looking underneath, Naruto could tell that the anger stemmed from something bigger.

"Something's bothering you, and it isn't the girl," Naruto hesitated. "What's wrong?"

Percy glanced at Naruto, slightly shocked, before sighing. "I found out that one of my friends was interested in joining the Hunters."

"Who?"

"Annabeth," Percy's expression darkened, a pained look entering his eyes. "She's in trouble. Luke - an enemy - took her captive. And, according to Zoe's dream - she's another Hunter of Artemis - Artemis was kidnapped as well."

What?! So it wasn't just Artemis? A half-blood was also captured?!

Percy noticed Naruto's sudden grim countenance. "But - it'll be fine. We'll rescue her. Them. It's nothing you have to worry about."

"Yeah. . ."

It appears that the camp already knew of Artemis's situation.

"Anyway," Percy attempted to change the subject, "Do you have any questions? About the gods or the camp?"

"Not really, no. Apollo already told me everything I needed to know," Naruto shrugged.

"I think the tour is over then," Percy rubbed his chin. "This is my first time giving an official tour, and I don't really know the protocols for this. You wanna head over to the sword arena? I can give you a little lesson in sword fighting."

Naruto shrugged. "I'm down."

XxX

"You're distracted."

Percy sighed. "Am I really that obvious?"

"Not really. I'm just very observant," Naruto sidestepped Percy's half-hearted downward slice. "Is it because of Annabeth?"

All the fight drained out of Percy. He lowered his sword. "Yeah. I'm worried sick about her. I'm sorry. I know I told you I'd give you a lesson but right now - "

"I understand," Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, I feel the same. There will probably be a quest announced soon. A rescue mission for your friend."

Percy froze. "Quest. . . you're right."

Naruto frowned. "I am?"

"I'll be back, Naruto. Just. . . explore, or something," Percy turned and began to run away.

"Where are you going?" Naruto called after him, confused.

"I'm going to go see the Oracle."

XxX

Naruto sat under a tree, watching bemusedly as Percy collapsed next to him. "How did it go?"

"I was just rejected by a mummy," Percy said in a desolate tone.

"Oh." What else could Naruto say to that?

"I. . . I need to go talk to Grover. He's a satyr, by the way. Any more questions?" Percy stood up.

"Nope. See ya around."

Naruto watched Percy run off before he shut his eyes once more. Apollo had always said that demigod dreams aren't normal dreams but rather important visions. Naruto had never experienced a demigod dream before, but there's a first time for everything.

And maybe, hopefully, Naruto's dream will reveal something relevant about rescuing Artemis. Oh, and Annabeth too.

XxX

"Are you the new demigod?" An excited voice woke Naruto up.

Naruto opened his eyes. He squinted up at the sky, noting the position of the sun. He had been asleep for about an hour, during which he dreamed of Tenzo carving up a tree into the figure of Sasuke and animating it for Sakura. Not a demigod dream. Hopefully.

Naruto looked at the person who woke him up. A young boy who looked to be around Naruto's age, shuffling cards in his hands, waited for Naruto's answer. "Yeah, I am. My name is Naruto."

"This is awesome! I'm Nico di Angelo," Nico grinned at Naruto. "I just got to camp yesterday. Do you play Mythomagic?"

Naruto smiled at the kid's energy. Nico reminded Naruto of. . . well, himself, when he was that age. "I have no idea what Mythomagic is."

Nico hesitated. "Umm, do you want to learn? I mean, it's totally fine if you don't. But it would be, like, really cool if you did."

Naruto blinked. "Is this your way of asking if we could be friends?"

"What?" Nico spluttered for a few moments before looking away and saying quietly, ". . . yeah. I don't have any friends, and Bianca left me to join the Hunters, and it feels kinda lonely."

Naruto's heart warmed up faster than you can say Katon: Gouka Mekkakyu. This kid. . .

"Sure," Naruto smiled. "Let's be friends."

Nico brightened. "Sweet! Alright, so first you need to have cards. The cards are either Greek gods or monsters. I have a huge collection, so I can share some with you - but I'm keeping the holofoils for myself. Basically, you have to defeat the enemy by - "

Until the quest was issued, there wasn't much Naruto could do, so he might as well sit down and play some games with Nico. Although Naruto was becoming impatient. If the quest isn't issued by tomorrow morning, then Naruto may have no choice but to go out on his own. He'd rather not though; as a shinobi, he knew the importance of information, and the information the Oracle gives would be invaluable.

" - and that's pretty much it. Wanna play?" Nico asked hopefully.

"Hit me up with some cards," Naruto grinned. "I'll show you the extent of my power."

Nico smirked right back. "Don't come crying to me when you lose."

XxX

"How?" Naruto stared blankly at Nico. "How?! You had one card left. _Just one_. I had _five_. And you killed all five."

Nico laughed. "Outplayed, Naruto. You targeted the wrong cards."

"That's broken," Naruto stood up. "Hey, you just got to camp yesterday, right? You wanna explore with me?"

They still had some time until dinner. They had time to kill.

"Yeah," Nico got up and fell in step with Naruto. "Do you know who your godly parent is yet?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. I do, however, know Apollo."

Nico's eyes widened. "No way. I met him yesterday too."

"Oh?" Naruto distinctly recalled Apollo heading out yesterday. "How was he?"

"He was _awesome_ ," Nico grinned. "He drove us to camp in the _freaking sun chariot_. We _flew in the sky_ in a _bus_."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from Nico's impression of Apollo, he probably hadn't done anything too bad, like recite his poetry or display his womanizing ways -

"Well, okay," Nico amended. "He didn't drive us himself; he let Thalia drive."

Naruto sighed heavily. "Of course he did. Entrust the _sun_ to a demigod driver. Although it could've been much worse; at least Thalia is the daughter of Zeus. If it had been the son of Poseidon driving. . ."

"You know Percy?" Nico asked as they passed the camp armory.

"Yup. He gave me the tour of the camp today."

"Percy is really cool, isn't he?" Nico gestured wildly with his hands. "So there was this monster trying to kill us yesterday, a manticore, and Percy saved us."

Naruto nodded. "Indeed. Percy Jackson stopped a war once."

"No way," Nico breathed in awe. "How?"

"Zeus's master bolt was stolen, and that incident threatened to rip the gods apart. Percy Jackson recovered the master bolt in time," Naruto summarized.

"Zeus's master bolt?! That does 600 damage! It was _stolen_?!" Nico gasped. "How could Zeus be stupid enough to lose something as important as that - "

Thunder boomed overhead.

"Umm, Nico, you should probably apologize, like, right now," Naruto glanced upward warily.

Nico paused. "Did that thunder mean that Zeus heard me?"

"Probably, yeah."

"Oh. Umm, Lord Zeus, I humbly beseech you for your forgiveness. Please, forgive this lowly demigod," Nico bowed his head. "It is neither my place nor my duty to comment on the actions of one as great as you. I apologize sincerely."

Thunder boomed once again, though this time, it was almost appreciative.

Naruto stared. "What? Why did you go all Shakespeare on me?"

Nico straightened up from his bow and shrugged. "I went to a military school. They taught us a bunch of useless stuff there. Hey, where are we going?"

"Didn't I say that we were going to explore?"

Nico hesitated. "Well, yeah, but isn't this, you know, the forest?"

"It is," Naruto grinned. "It's going to be so much fun."

"Wait, but isn't the forest, like, _stocked with monsters?_ "

"Oh please. We'll be fine."

"Alright," Nico shrugged. "But if I get killed, you're the one who Bianca is going to kill."

"And who is Bianca?"

"She's my sister," Nico's face darkened. "She joined the Hunters of Artemis, though. She left me."

Naruto paused. "I know how you feel."

Nico whirled on Naruto. "Yeah? You know how it feels when someone you love leaves you?"

"Yes," Naruto said simply. "I do."

Nico deflated. "Oh. Who?"

"He was my best friend." Naruto didn't expand further, and Nico didn't ask.

"You loved him?" Nico finally spoke.

"He was like a brother to me," Naruto smiled sadly. Then he blinked. "Dude, look at that." He pointed at a huge cluster of boulders.

"It's a pile of rocks," Nico said unimpressively.

"No, not that," Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Something's not right." His instincts screamed at him that there was _something_ there. Naruto walked up, scrutinizing everything. He could see nothing. He reached out with his senses.

 _There!_ There was a delta inscribed on the rock.

Nico walked up to the boulders, now frowning. "You're right. I can sense something off here."

Naruto glanced at Nico. "You can sense something too?"

"Yeah," Nico pressed his hand against the boulder. "I don't know what it is though."

"There's a delta inscribed on the rock," Naruto blindly reached in with his hand and touched the delta. Immediately, an opening appeared.

"Whoa!" Nico jumped back, surprised. "Where did that come out from?!"

"I don't know," Naruto rubbed his chin. He stared into the opening, but he saw only darkness. "I'm getting a really bad feeling about this though. We probably shouldn't go in there."

"If you say so," Nico glanced curiously into the opening.

Naruto touched the delta once more, and the opening closed up.

"What do you think that was?" Nico asked once they were far away.

"No idea. It felt unnatural though," it reminded Naruto of Orochimaru's numerous hideouts. Although he supposed Artemis's influence also played a role; after all, a man made underground hideout is the direct antithesis of the wild and the forests. "Let's not go back there again."

Nico frowned. "Why? It didn't feel _that_ bad."

"It did. It absolutely did," Naruto tilted his head. "Although that's probably because we have different Olympian parents; perhaps your parent has an affinity for the underground or the earth."

"You think?" Nico stared down at his hands before tensing up when he heard a loud rustling of leaves and a screeching sound come from near them. He cautiously scanned their surroundings. "What was that?!"

"Don't worry about it," Naruto dismissed, continuing to walk forwards.

Nico hurriedly stepped by Naruto's side. "How can you be so confident? If we get cornered by a monster - "

"Then I'll kill it," Naruto's eyebrows rose in interest when he spotted tracks on the ground. Giant ants? Heavy. Possibly armored. The information streamed into his mind, painting a rather disturbing image in his head. A swarm of giant armored ants. . . while they wouldn't be particularly difficult to defeat, they would be _disgusting_ to fight.

"You'll kill it?" Nico looked around fearfully. "You're new to this camp - you're even newer than me! Do you really think you can fight against all the monsters in here?"

Naruto turned to Nico and gave him a confident smile. "Yes."

"How?" Nico asked.

Naruto inclined his head. "Like this." And he disappeared.

Nico's eyes widened as he felt a tapping on his shoulder. He whirled around to find Naruto standing behind him, twirling a small silver kunai in his hand and the confident smile still on his face.

"Just because I'm new," Naruto flicked the kunai to the side without even looking, "Doesn't mean I'm defenseless," he finished. Nico's head turned, and his eyes widened even more when he saw a bird with a razor-sharp bronze beak fall to the ground, the silver kunai embedded in its eye, before disintegrating into dust.

A moment of silence passed as Nico's mouth moved, trying to form words but no sound came out. And then the dam broke. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" Nico broke out in a wide grin as he looked at the dust on the ground, then at Naruto, then at the dust again. "How did you do that?!"

Naruto smirked. "I'm just that good."

"Teach me," Nico begged. "That was legendary!"

"I suppose I can give you a few lessons," Naruto led Nico over to a small clearing in the forest. He didn't bother to go pick up the kunai; they would automatically return back to his kunai pouch in a few moments. Naruto's kunai and shuriken were Hephaestus-made, after all, and with a little added magic from Artemis, the weapons were linked to the pouch. The design was modeled after Zeus's lightning bolt, where it would always return to the sheath.

"You moved so fast, you were like the rotors of a helicopter! One moment you were there and the next you were behind me! You were gone in a flash!" Naruto could swear there were stars shining in Nico's eyes.

"It was pretty awesome, huh?" Naruto grinned smugly. "Alright, let's start with the basics."

"The basics?"

"Lesson Number One: Taijutsu. Come, Nico. Attack me."

Nico hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I can't exactly teach you how to throw projectiles out _here_ , can I? We have an archery range for that. Right now, I'll just teach you how to fight," Naruto held up his hand in the seal of confrontation. "We start with the seal of confrontation."

Nico copied Naruto's hand seal, albeit slightly clumsily. "Like this?"

"Yup. And then we fight. Come at me," Naruto's arms hung loosely by his side.

"Umm, how?"

Naruto stared. "Well, you could try to punch me, I guess. I need to know your general skill level first."

"Got it!" Nico charged Naruto, fist cocked back in a heavily telegraphed punch. He was slow - way too slow.

Naruto caught the punch in one hand. "Alright, I've seen enough. Rule number one: _do not telegraph your attacks_. Try to use minimal movements."

Nico gritted his teeth. "Understood."

"Again!"

And Nico rushed Naruto once more.

XxX

"How are you not sweating?" Nico panted after about thirty minutes of sparring.

Naruto shrugged. "I haven't really exerted myself that much."

Nico seemed to grow depressed at that. "Am I really that bad?"

"No!" Naruto said vehemently. "You've improved a lot. Keep in mind, Nico, that I've been training for a _lot_ longer than you. In fact, I'm impressed; you learn at an extremely rapid pace. I don't think you've made the same mistake twice yet."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh," Nico blushed slightly at the praise. "I think we should get back now."

"Yeah, let's return. Before that, however. . ." Naruto held out two fingers in the seal of reconciliation. "We have to make the seal of reconciliation. It's like a handshake, only with the same two fingers you used to make the seal of confrontation."

Nico reached out with his own two fingers and Naruto grasped it tightly. "Good fight, Nico. You did well."

"Thank you."

They made the walk back in a comfortable silence, Nico staring at Naruto in awe every few moments when he thought Naruto wasn't looking. It was like Konohamaru all over again.

When they exited the forest, Chiron and a young girl were waiting for them. Her scent. . . she was also a Hunter of Artemis, although her scent was extremely faint, as if she hadn't been one for very long.

"Bianca!" Nico cried happily upon seeing her. He began to run towards her before stopping in place, his smile diminishing in size as if remembering something. But then the smile was back in full force. "I made - "

"Where have you been?!" Bianca demanded. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Nico's smile wavered. "What?"

"I looked _everywhere_ for you! But I couldn't find you anywhere! Can you imagine how I felt when a dryad told me that she saw you walking into the forest? The forest filled with monsters that will kill you?!" Bianca threw her hands up in the air. "How reckless can you be?!"

Chiron nodded sagely. "What she said."

Naruto blinked. "Hey, uhh, I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there's a _lava rock climbing wall_ over there. Why are you suddenly concerned about camper safety? It's not as if countless other demigods haven't entered the forest before."

Chiron winced. " _Ahem_ , I would just like to say that the lava rock climbing wall is perfectly safe, and we haven't had a single death yet."

 _Yet_.

"What would've happened if you had run into a monster?! You both would have been _killed!_ " Bianca breathed heavily.

"Indeed," Chiron nodded once more. "People die when they are killed, and demigods are no exception."

"If we ran into a monster, then I would've eliminated it," Naruto raised an eyebrow at Chiron. Why was Chiron even siding with Bianca with this?

"You're what, ten years old?" Bianca glared at Naruto. "How could you possibly lead my little brother into a dangerous forest when you can't even protect yourself?"

Naruto sighed. "Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm defenseless - "

"Hey, Naruto, could I speak to you for a moment?" Chiron gestured at Naruto to come closer to him. Naruto cocked his head but did as Chiron asked, leaning in to hear what the centaur had to say.

"Just go along with it," Chiron hissed in Naruto's ear.

"What?!"

"I'd rather not have an irritated Hunter if I could help it," Chiron's tail flicked nervously. "Tensions are already rather high, and I would prefer it if it stayed constant and didn't increase or - gods forbid - explode. I don't want to see the camp in flames. Again."

"Ohhh I get it," Naruto whispered back. "I gotchu."

"Thank you."

Naruto walked back. "Nico, it's time to go Shakespeare again."

Nico turned to him, betrayed. "What? Why?"

"Just do it," and Naruto bowed his head to Bianca, who looked surprised at the turn of events. "I humbly beseech you for your forgiveness. Please, forgive this lowly demigod."

Nico hesitated before bowing his head as well. "Indeed, I have commited a cardinal wrong. I apologize deeply; it shall never happen again."

"Oh," Bianca blinked. "Alright then. Nico, just. . . be careful."

"I was careful!" Nico protested.

Bianca sighed. "If you say so." Then she turned to Naruto. "You're the new demigod, right? The one that just arrived today?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup. Naruto, at your service."

Bianca bit her lip for a moment, seeming a little abashed about her previous outburst. "I'm sorry for shouting at you, but I was just worried - "

Naruto held up a hand, smiling. "I understand completely."

'"Naruto," Chiron spoke up. "If you would come with me, please?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure, yeah," Naruto planted his hands into his pockets and followed Chiron away. "See you around, Nico."

"Bye Naruto!" Nico waved enthusiastically.

Naruto walked away, trailing after Chiron, but his heightened sense of hearing could still catch Bianca and Nico's conversation.

"What was it that you wanted to tell me?" Bianca asked curiously.

While Naruto couldn't see Nico, he could practically _feel_ the excitement that Nico radiated. "Oh yeah! I made a friend, Bianca!"

"Naruto?"

"Naruto," Nico cheerfully confirmed. "He's awesome!"

"I'm so happy for you!" Bianca sounded genuinely happy for Nico. She was a good sister. "See, I told you that the kids at Westover Hall were wrong about you."

"Well, of course they were. I never liked those kids anyways," Nico was silent for a moment before his energy returned. "You won't believe how _awesome_ Naruto is. He should have his own Mythomagic card!"

And the smile remained on Naruto's face even after the distance grew too great and the sound of Bianca and Nico's conversation faded away.

"Something funny, Naruto?" Chiron inquired.

"Not at all, Chiron," Naruto paused. "Oh, by the way, just how many times have you been sued?"

Chiron coughed nervously. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to come with me."

"That's not what I asked - "

"Well, the answer, my young half-blood, is simple," Chiron continued, ignoring him. "Percy asked for you; he wishes to talk to you."

"He does? Why?" Naruto frowned.

Chiron shrugged. "I believe he's planning on introducing you to one of his friends who've expressed interest in you after learning about your encounter with Mr. D."

XxX

"You smell good."

Naruto froze. "Come again?"

"Grover, dude!" Percy elbowed the satyr, Grover, in the side. "What was that about?"

"Oh, sorry," Grover apologized halfheartedly. He sniffed the air. "Seriously though. You smell _insanely_ good; like nature and trees and. . . well, _nature_." He sighed dreamily.

Damn. Damn damn damn. Hopefully, Grover wouldn't connect the dots. Of course, it would be nearly impossible for him to; the idea that there would be a male child of Artemis was so outlandish and improbable that only someone like Kakashi-sensei would think of it. The person would have to be so insane, it loops around back to brilliant. Grover couldn't possibly guess the truth.

. . . Naruto dearly hoped he didn't just jinx himself.

Fortunately, Grover didn't go the brilliantly insane route. "Whatever. It's probably just because of the residue from Lady Artemis. I wouldn't worry about it."

Naruto didn't breathe a sigh of relief - he wasn't that obvious anymore - but he did relax slightly. "I see. Well, it's nice to meet you. My name's Naruto."

"Grover Underwood," Grover grinned at Naruto. "Tell me: what did you do to Mr. D?"

"What do you mean?"

Grover gestured wildly with his hands. "According to Percy, Mr. D. was actually, well, _nice_ to you. What's your secret? Are you secretly a wine prodigy, or something?"

"What even _is_ a wine prodigy?" Naruto wondered. "In any case, no. I just met Mr. D and I'm not even sure he likes me; if how he treated me was 'nice', then I can only shudder to think of how he treats people 'harshly.'"

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Grover looked down at the ground before sniffing the air again. "Oh man. Your scent. . . it's amazing. It's like nature, and the wild, and the forests - "

Naruto's fingers twitched imperceptibly.

" - and it's amazing and. . . wow," Grover stared at Naruto. "I've only smelled this scent on one other person before; Lady Artemis."

Naruto's heart skipped several beats.

Percy's eyebrows rose in interest. "He smells like Lady Artemis?"

"His scent is also similar to the Hunters of Artemis, although it's more potent and. . . pure," Grover leaned in close to Naruto. "Percy said that you knew Lord Apollo, correct?"

"Yes," Naruto nodded carefully.

"How did you know Apollo?" Percy asked.

Naruto hesitated. "He was my guardian."

Grover bleated - he literally _bleated_ \- in surprise. "Whoaaa kid we don't make those claims around here. If they're false. . ." he looked up at the sky nervously.

"I'm not lying," Naruto frowned. "I was raised by Apollo."

"For real?" Percy's eyebrows scrunched together. "A demigod being raised by a god? I don't think that's ever happened before."

Grover crossed his arms. "It's an _extremely_ rare occurrence. Which begs the question: just why was Apollo your guardian? Why are you special?"

It's time for Kakashi-sensei level bullshit.

"It's probably because of my chakra," Naruto said offhandedly.

Percy blinked. "Chakra? Isn't that some Indian thing?"

"Nope. Well, yeah, it is, but not the thing I'm talking about," Naruto held up his hand and channeled some chakra to it. Slowly, his hand began to emit blue light - wasted chakra in terms of efficiency, but it made a cool light show. "This is chakra."

Percy and Grover didn't speak; they were too busy examining Naruto's hand.

"Apollo discovered that I had it, and I guess he decided it was interesting, so he decided to raise me," Naruto shrugged. "I lived in one of his. . . temples."

"Chakra would certainly explain it," Grover rubbed the thin wisps of his goatee. "The gods would definitely want to keep an eye on a new - or perhaps ancient - power. How did you acquire this chakra?"

"I've had it since I was born."

"What can you do with it?" Percy asked curiously.

"Umm. . . not a lot," Naruto didn't want to reveal a lot yet. He'd rather not draw too much attention to himself; he didn't want a god coming down and looking too closely. That was probably the same reason why Apollo didn't just come to camp and fetch Naruto. It would raise many questions, questions that could lead to the discovery of Naruto's identity.

Naruto smiled at the thought of Apollo just glaring down at him overhead in his sun chariot, unable to do a single thing without raising suspicion. As long as he remains in camp, Apollo couldn't get him. Even better, once Naruto goes on the quest, Apollo could do even _less_ ; even more gods would be watching the quest, and direct interference from a god is strictly forbidden.

Apollo couldn't just kidnap Naruto in a ray of golden sunlight unless he wanted to risk the wrath of Zeus.

Unless, of course, Apollo decided to just stop caring and do it anyways; but that's unlikely, because Naruto knew that Apollo _needed_ Artemis to be saved, and Naruto also knew that Apollo knew that out of all the demigods in this camp, Naruto would be the best bet.

At least, that's what Naruto _hoped_ would happen. Given how Apollo hasn't swooped down and performed a fly-by kidnapping yet, Naruto figured that was probably the case.

"Come on," Percy pressed on. "Being a human flashlight can't be the only thing chakra can do. What other powers do you have?"

A horn sounded.

Naruto tensed up. "What was that?"

"It's a summon to the dining pavilion; in other words, it's time for dinner," Grover said. "Finally. I'm starving."

Percy suddenly facepalmed. "I forgot."

Naruto tilted his head. "Forgot what?"

"I didn't introduce you to the Hermes cabin yet. Uhh, that's where you'll be sitting, by the way," Percy explained. "Sorry about that. I'll give you a quick introduction."

Naruto followed Grover and Percy to the dining pavilion. Fortunately, it appears they've completely forgotten about Naruto's chakra.

Thank the gods for ADHD demigods and hungry satyrs.

XxX

"Naruto!" Nico waved happily at him from the Hermes table. "I saved you a seat."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks, I'll be right there."

"You know Nico?" Percy asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yup. Met him after you left today. Hey, why is the atmosphere so tense in here?" He was reminded of the room he waited in for the Chunin exams to begin.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "There's a capture the flag game tonight. Campers vs Hunters. We're going to beat them."

Naruto didn't need negative emotion sensing to tell that Percy definitely disliked the Hunters. "Is this because Annabeth wanted to join?"

". . . maybe."

"Is she your _certain someone_?" The grin on Naruto's face was extremely reminiscent of Jiraiya's.

Percy blushed furiously. "What? No! Of course not."

Naruto smirked. "I see."

If that was the case, then he didn't really blame Percy. If he found out that Hinata wanted to join a group that forbade all romantic relationships. . . Naruto wouldn't be very happy either.

"Hey, Connor, Travis, this is Naruto, a new demigod that arrived today. He's undetermined," Percy introduced once they reached the Hermes table.

Two guys, brothers, grinned mischievously at Naruto. "Hello there."

"Welcome to Cabin 11."

"The superior cabin."

"The _biggest_ cabin, if you know what I mean."

Percy groaned. "He's, like, _ten_ years old. Please."

One of them pouted. "We're just joking around, Percy. It's nice to meet you, Naruto." He stretched out his hand. "I'm Travis."

"And I'm Connor," Connor stretched out his hand as well.

Naruto raised his eyebrows bemusedly. "It's nice to meet you both." He shook Connor's hand first, and then Travis's.

"Alright, two things," Travis grumbled. "First of all, why did you shake Connor's hand first? Second, where's your watch?"

Naruto blinked. "My watch?"

"How are we supposed to demonstrate our amazing thievery skills if you don't wear a watch for us to steal?" Connor complained. "Oh, and he shook my hand first because I'm obviously the better one."

"Respect your elders, youngling," Travis sniffed imperiously. "Do not live in delusions."

"My job here is done," Percy walked off to the Poseidon table.

Travis and Connor grinned at Naruto. "In all seriousness though, welcome to the Hermes cabin. Sit wherever you want, though we hear that your pal there saved you a seat."

"Although there's not really a _point_ of saving you a seat," Connor looked around the Hermes table. Only he, Travis, and Nico were there; nobody else. "With you, there's only 4 people at the Hermes table."

Naruto chuckled. "It's the thought that counts."

He took the seat next to Nico. "So. . . where's the food?"

"They have this really cool system where nymphs deliver the food. And the cups fill up with whatever drinks you want," Nico explained excitedly.

"Oh? Any drink?" Naruto looked at the empty goblet in front of him. "Water."

Water materialized in the goblet. Naruto frowned.

"Spring water."

No visible change.

Naruto took a sip. "Perfection."

Nico stared at him confusedly. "What?"

"For you see, Nico, not all water is created equal. Spring water is the highest quality; gathered directly from the source, it is the purest form of water you can get."

". . .okay then."

XxX

Naruto walked to the pavilion fire to offer some of his food to the gods - then he froze.

A young girl was tending to the flames.

 _Hestia_.

She looked up and saw Naruto. She looked puzzled for a second before recognition entered her eyes. She winked.

Naruto smiled back as he walked up to the flames and scraped a portion of his pizza in.

_For you, Hestia. And Artemis. Oh, and I guess Apollo too. Sorry about earlier today, by the way._

Naruto breathed in the smoke, and it actually smelled _good_.

Magic.

XxX

After they had finished dinner (the pizza was _good),_ the campers and hunters all began gearing up for the capture the flag game.

Nico had run off to find some armor. Naruto simply observed the occupants of the dining pavilion.

The Hunters of Artemis all looked upset; they were whispering nervously to each other, and some of them even looked like they had been crying. They must be worried about Artemis. Even though he hasn't even spoken to them yet, aside from that one girl, Naruto felt a strange sense of kinship with them. Unfortunately, Naruto didn't think they'd like it very much if a boy walked up to them.

Their general dislike of the male population was vexing.

Naruto will make them accept him, though. Difficult, but not impossible. And if Naruto could get through to a purple-eyed mass murderer, a red-and-black-eyed mass murderer, and countless others, then he could get through to them.

On the camper's side, the Aphrodite kids (Naruto could tell because of their perfect makeup/wardrobe/hair) looked like they were ready for blood. It made sense that they would dislike the Hunters of Artemis; they're literal opposites of each other. Out of all the Olympians, Aphrodite was high on Naruto's list of gods he didn't want discovering his identity.

Sadly, it appears that even though the Aphrodite kids had the spirit, they didn't have the skills. Naruto winced as one girl's nail snapped in half as she tried to put on the heavy bronze armor. She must have a high pain tolerance though because she didn't even scream - oh. It had been a nail extension, and she hadn't even noticed it snapping off yet; now she's looking and she noticed it -

Naruto winced again as she let out a blood curdling scream.

Moving on. Three Hephaestus kids with huge muscles, presumably from working in the forges all day, were making last-minute checks on their weapons. Weapons that they probably created themselves.

A few Ares kids, ferocious expressions on their faces. They almost rivaled the Aphrodite kids in terms of intensity.

Almost.

"Naruto, look at this! I'm wearing _real_ armor!" Nico's blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling into his eyes and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. His celestial bronze sword was too heavy for him.

Naruto chuckled. "If I were you, I'd look into asking the Hephaestus kids to forge you some custom armor."

Nico's eyes widened "Custom armor? That would be _so cool_! I could have my own designs, and razor sharp gauntlets, and a built-in sheathe for little daggers and so much more!" He deflated. "I don't think they'll make it for me though. Oh, look, it's Percy."

Nico ran up to Percy excitedly, Naruto following behind at a more sedate pace. "Percy, this is awesome!" He lifted his sword with effort. "Do we get to kill the other team?"

Naruto blanched.

"Well. . . no," Percy replied, looking vaguely disturbed.

"But the Hunters are immortal, right?"

"That's only if they don't fall in battle. Besides - "

"It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and - "

"Nico, this is serious. Real swords. These can hurt," Percy interrupted. "Speaking of which, Naruto, what are you wearing?"

Naruto looked down at himself. Orange pants. Black-and-orange jacket. Black sandals. "What's the problem?"

"Where is your armor?"

"Not wearing armor."

Percy paused. "Wait, what?"

"Armor is only going to slow me down. I don't need it. Don't worry, I'm not planning on getting hit," Naruto reassured.

"Umm, I'm pretty sure it's a required rule for you to wear armor," Percy scratched his head. "Lemme ask. Hey Thalia!"

A girl with spiky hair and electric blue eyes jogged over. "What is it?"

"Are we required to wear armor?" Percy asked.

Thalia frowned. "Why wouldn't we wear armor?" She turned to look at Naruto. "Kid, where's your armor?"

"He says he doesn't need armor," Percy answered for Naruto.

Thalia crossed her arms. "Kid - what's your name?"

"Naruto."

"Naruto. You need armor. And a sword. Where's your sword?"

"I don't need that either."

Percy and Thalia shared a glance. "You need a sword."

"Yeah, you really do."

"Naruto has his own knives!" Nico cut in. "Show them!"

Naruto sighed, but he reached into his kunai pouch and took out a single silver kunai. "I use these to fight."

"Huh. Okay then," Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You still need armor, unless you're planning on getting skewered by arrows. Or impaled by a sword. Or - I don't even know what hidden weapons the Hunters have. Trust me, you're going to want to wear armor."

Naruto inclined his head. "You raise an excellent point."

"Thank you - "

"But no. Armor _sucks_. It's heavy and clunky and immobile and it does nothing but lower my speed and agility. Besides," Naruto gestured towards the Hunters. "They've had _centuries_ of archery experience. You really think they can't shoot accurately into the chink of the armor? Without the heavy armor weighing me down, at least I can dodge their arrows."

Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You think you can dodge their arrows?"

"Yeah."

Thalia nodded slowly. Then her fist unexpectedly shot out towards Naruto's gut - and slammed into Naruto's awaiting hand. It took a massive amount of self-control for Naruto to restrain his reflexes and not immediately counterattack, but he managed it.

"Huh," Thalia blinked. "With that reaction time, you may have a chance after all. Alright then. You do you, I guess. Just don't get killed."

Naruto smiled. "I won't."

"Hey Percy, what should we do?" Nico tried to readjust his helmet, but it was in vain. He gave up, and it just hung there, slightly lopsided.

Percy patted Nico's shoulders. "Just follow the team. Stay out of Zoe's way. We'll have a blast."

Chiron's hoof thundered on the pavilion floor. "Heroes! You all know the rules. Sadly, I do not think many of you will _follow_ them, but oh well. Blue team - Camp Half-Blood - shall take the west woods. Red team - the Hunters of Artemis - shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. NO INTENTIONAL MAIMING, please. Allow me to repeat myself. NO INTENTIONAL MAIMING."

"Oh come on, Chiron!" An Aphrodite kid yelled.

"No exceptions! Anyone accused of intentional maiming shall first be tried by a kangaroo court and then subsequently punished by becoming my personal stable cleaner."

There was a collective shudder around the camp.

"He doesn't mean what I think he means, right?" Naruto asked nervously.

Percy looked at Naruto with a haunted look. "He does. He absolutely does."

"All magic items are allowed!" Chiron continued. "UNLESS, and this is a very big unless: if it creates fires, explosions, or otherwise any form of incendiary results of ANY kind, then THEY ARE BANNED. I AM LOOKING AT YOU, HUNTERS."

"One time!" A Hunter protested. "It was _one_ time! Besides, the campers started it - "

"I DON'T CARE WHO STARTED IT. THE CAMP WAS IN _FLAMES_! DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH PAPERWORK YOU PUT ME THROUGH YOU STUPID, SHORT-SIGHTED, IRRESPONSIBLE - " Chiron coughed. " _Ahem_. That being said, all I can say now is: to your positions! Let the battle begin!"

"Wouldn't the paperwork be Mr. D's job, since he's the camp director?" Naruto inquired.

"Does Mr. D seem like the type to do paperwork?" Percy asked rhetorically.

"Oh. Right."

"Blue team! Follow me!" Thalia commanded.

The campers cheered and followed. Percy ran to catch up to Thalia - and tripped over somebody's shield. "Damn it Travis!"

"Sorry," he didn't look sorry.

XxX

Thalia had put Naruto on defense along with a Hephaestus kid, Beckendorf, Percy, the Stoll brothers, and Nico. The flag itself was located on top of Zeus's fist.

Needless to say, Naruto stayed _far_ away from the entrance. The underground tunnels deeply unsettled him. He climbed to the very top of the pile, precariously adhering himself with chakra, sitting next to Percy.

Defense was boring. Naruto amused himself by keeping track of the Hunters and campers. A few were already fighting. Nico struggled to climb to the boulders, and Naruto helped him up.

"What's happening?" Nico asked.

Instead of answering, Percy bit his lip before looking to Beckendorf. "Can you guys hold the fort?"

Beckendorf snorted. "Of course."

Percy took a deep breath before announcing, "I'm going in."

Naruto's eyebrows rose. This would be interesting.

Nico and the Stoll brothers cheered as Percy raced towards the boundary lines. Naruto sensed no obstacles ahead; Percy should be fine. There was only one guard protecting the flag -

Oh. "Hey, Nico?"

"Yeah?"

"How would you react if Percy slammed Bianca into the ground?"

Nico's eyes flashed dangerously. "What?!"

"Never mind."

It appeared that Percy's plan may actually work - nope. A trip wire arrow tripped Percy, sending him sprawling into the snow. And there's Thalia, screaming at Percy - oh man, was that a _fart arrow_?

Even from this far away, Naruto started coughing. He quickly plugged up his nose with a clever application of chakra, but even as he waved away Nico's concern, he only had one thought: _I'm sorry, Kiba._

"By the way, you can come out now," Naruto spoke up.

Beckendorf looked at Naruto as if he was insane. "What are you talking about - "

"I am impressed," a Hunter stepped out of the shadows. She had coppery skin, and she had a tiara on her head. "There aren't many that can detect me like that, especially not one as young as thyself."

Naruto grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment."

She inclined her head. "It was."

Her hands twitched, a silver bow materialized suddenly, and a second later, the Stoll brothers let out gasps of pain as arrows slammed into their helmets. Naruto winced.

In an amazing display of agility, Zoe had bounded up the pile of boulders and was on top of them in less than a second. Beckendorf tried to fight her off, but her hand streaked forward, grabbed the flag, and then she backflipped off, landing gracefully on the ground before sprinting away.

"Whoa," Naruto blinked. "She's good."

"After her!" Beckendorf cried as he and Nico gingerly lowered themselves to the ground and began chasing her. Naruto jumped off and caught up to them easily.

"Hey, Beckendorf?" he asked, jogging along.

"What?" Beckendorf gasped back. Clearly, while the son of Hephaestus was strong, his aerobics was severely lacking.

"If we win this, do you promise to make Nico a custom set of armor?"

Nico's eyes suddenly seemed to gain stars. "Yeah! Pretty please?"

"Damn it! If we win this, I'll make Nico _ten_ sets of custom armor! If we win, you have no idea how happy Sile - " Beckendorf cut off suddenly. "Anyway, the answer is yes."

Naruto grinned. "It's a deal."

And in a burst of speed, Naruto was right behind the Hunter. She turned around, surprised. "You are fast!" she exclaimed before firing an arrow at him, not slowing down as she did.

Naruto deflected it with a kunai. He picked up his speed, and in a second, he was running ahead of her. "So, do you want to stop, or should we fight and run?"

The Hunter hesitated before skidding to a stop. "This will be quick," she promised before firing off a massive barrage of arrows - all of which were deflected or outright dodged. Naruto smirked at the astonishment on her face.

"It's nothing personal, but I really can't let you win. 10 sets of custom armor depends on it," Naruto looked ahead, where he could see Percy racing to the boundary line. The Hunter turned around and saw him too. She didn't hesitate this time; she just began sprinting.

Naruto sighed before running after her. "Hey, didn't you hear me? You can't outrun me!" He shouted right next to her.

She spared him a glance. "You cannot stop me either."

Naruto paused. "Wrong. I'm _choosing_ not to stop you. I _can_ stop you though, and if you don't stop on your own, I'll do it for you."

She smirked. "You can try."

"If you insist." They were getting pretty close to the creek, the boundary line, and Naruto couldn't afford to lose - oh wait. He'd always wanted to do this, and this was his perfect chance.

In honor of Bushier Brows-sensei and the absolute _badass_ he displayed when he released the Eighth Gate and _beat the living shit out of Madara_. . .

XxX

Ahead of him, Percy could see Zoe Nightshade racing towards him like a cheetah high on sugar and caffeine, dodging campers with no trouble. She had their flag in her hands.

"No!" he yelled as he poured on the speed.

Percy was two feet from the water, already despairing as Zoe was about to leap across, win the game, and knock into him for good measure - when an orange-and-black streak _slammed_ into Zoe Nightshade from the side and sent her flying.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Naruto grinned from his flying kick.

Zoe was up in a flash, already moving again, but it was too late. Percy had crossed the creek.

Game over.

XxX

There was disbelieving silence in the forest for a moment.

Then the campers released a deafening cheer so loud it probably reached Olympus. Chiron appeared out of the woods, the Stoll brothers on his back. He looked pleasantly surprised, as if he had been expecting a basic ramen but instead received a deluxe all-you-can Ichiraku ramen special.

"For the first time in 56 games," he announced, "THE CAMPERS WIN!"

Another cheer went up. "PERCY! PERCY! PERCY! PERCY!" they chanted.

For their part, the Hunters looked shell-shocked and confused, as if they still couldn't believe that they lost.

"PERCY! PERCY! PERCY! PER - "

"What were you _thinking?!_ " Thalia stormed up to Percy. She smelled like rotten eggs, and blue sparks flickered up her armor.

Percy narrowed his eyes. "I won us the game!"

"You disobeyed my orders! I was at their base, _but the flag was gone!_ "

"We _won_ , Thalia!" Percy threw his hands up in the air. "What are you even mad about?!"

"We won because of a _fluke_! Did you know that Naruto would go ultra instinct on Zoe when you ran off?!" Thalia glared at Percy. "If Naruto hadn't been there, then we would've _lost_!"

"But we didn't lose!" Percy retorted. "I don't get what you're mad about! We won!"

"It isn't about winning," Thalia growled. "This is the _second_ time that you disobeyed my orders! And sure, maybe it worked out this time, but it probably won't work next time, and it _most certainly did not work last time!_ "

Percy grew still. "Are you blaming what happened to Annabeth on me?" he asked dangerously.

Thalia paused, sensing that she'd gone too far. "That's not what I meant - "

A stream of water shot out from the creek, blasting Thalia in the face.

Travis giggled. "Percy just made Thalia wet."

"Dude, shut up," Beckendorf muttered.

"Sorry!" Percy's eyes widened, turning pale. "I didn't mean to - "

Thalia pushed Percy, a shock going through his body and blowing him backwards ten feet into the water.

"Ohhh Thalia just blowed Percy," Travis crowed.

" _Dude!"_

"Yeah," Thalia growled. "I didn't mean to either."

Percy stood up and stepped _onto_ the water.

"Jason Bourne, it's Jesus Christ!" Travis gasped.

Naruto understood that reference. He would've spoken up too, and maybe given Travis a high five (because it was an _awesome_ reference), but then Percy raised his bronze blade. "You want some, Pinecone Face?"

Thalia raised her spear in response. "Bring it, Seaweed Brain."

"They're roleplaying!"

" _Dude, shut up!"_

XxX

Hestia observed the proceedings confusedly. "Why are they fighting?" she muttered.

Dionysus stood next to her, chewing on peeled grapes. "Isn't it obvious?"

"No. Would you care to explain?"

Dionysus shrugged. "Alright. The thing you have to understand, Hestia, is that they both possess an extraordinary amount of repressed anger and shame and sadness and guilt from losing Annie Girl."

"Annabeth."

"Whatever. The point is, they're not really fighting over the disobeying orders thing. They would've ended up fighting anyway, no matter what the reason. They both blame themselves for the loss of Annie Girl, so they're taking it out on each other. I wouldn't worry too much about it; they don't _actually_ hate each other; this is just the manifestation of all their repressed anger. It's like therapy for them."

Hestia paused. "You actually know your stuff."

Dionysus scoffed. "I'm the god of madness. Psychology is right up my alley."

She glanced sideways at him. "That's a lie. What's the real reason?"

Dionysus's eyes widened before he chuckled. "You always were too perceptive. Fine. I wanted to give Ariadne a reason why Theseus left her, to convince her that it wasn't her fault, and somehow it ended me up learning philosophy, psychology, and a bunch of other mind stuff so I could properly psychoanalyze Theseus."

Hestia smiled. "The things you do for family."

"Indeed."

XxX

"Enough!" Chiron ordered.

The two ignored him. Thalia raised her blade, and Naruto smelled ozone.

There was a very good chance that Thalia would blast Percy with lightning sometime in the next second.

Naruto was suddenly struck with a sense of deja vu. He'd been in this situation before. On the hospital roof, when he had been fighting with Sasuke.

Naruto and Sasuke were Percy and Thalia. Chiron would be Kakashi-sensei then - Naruto glanced over. Chiron stood there helplessly. He was completely useless.

Never mind. Chiron was Sakura.

Which meant. . . who was Kakashi-sensei? Naruto scanned the faces of everyone, but nobody looked as if they were going to jump in and stop the two.

Nobody, except for him.

Naruto sighed. _First Bushier Brows-sensei, now Kakashi-sensei. Next thing you know, I'll be emulating Iruka-sensei._

Thalia yelled and a blast of lightning came down from the sky, hit her spear like a lightning rod - and slammed into Naruto, who suddenly appeared between the two.

To be more precise, it slammed into Naruto's hand - his hand that was holding a Rasengan.

Lightning bolt against a Rasengan packed densely with chakra. The Rasengan won - the lightning bolt wasn't that powerful, because Thalia wasn't actually _trying_ to kill Percy.

There was silence once more as the lightning fizzled out and the Rasengan disappeared as if it was never there.

"Are you _kidding me_?!" Naruto yelled. "You two are _comrades_. Why are you fighting?!"

 _Hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite NaRuTo! sAsUkE! hypocrite hypocrite hypocrite_ -

_Shut up!_

"I mean, for the love of the gods, just _chill!_ " Naruto sighed exasperatedly. "Talk it out like normal human beings!"

"You just. . ." Thalia trailed off. "You just blocked a lightning bolt with your hand. . ."

Did they not see the Rasengan? Naruto did suppose that the light of the electricity would cover it up, but they didn't see it? Damn, his luck was good.

"How did you stop the lightning bolt - WHAT THE HADES IS THAT?!" Percy yelped, looking right behind Naruto.

Naruto turned around and saw something that terrified him. It was shrouded in a murky green mist. A withered mummy.

"This is impossible," Chiron breathed nervously. "It. . . she has never left the attic. Never."

Nobody dared to move - except for Naruto, who leaped back. He was pale. "G-g-ghost!"

 _I am the spirit of Delphi,_ it said, _Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python_.

Naruto blinked. "Never mind, false alarm."

The Oracle turned and regarded the tiara girl with its cold dead eyes. _Approach, Seeker, and ask._

She swallowed. "What must I do to help my goddess?"

The Oracle's mouth opened and green mist poured out. A vague image of a mountain, and a girl standing at the barren peak.

Naruto drew a sharp breath, but nobody noticed. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as if to fend off an attacker, and it looked like she was in pain. The Oracle spoke:

_Five shall go west to the goddess in chains,_

_One shall be lost in the land without rain,_

_The bane of Olympus shows the trail,_

_Campers and Hunters combined prevail,_

_The Titan's curse must one withstand,_

_And one shall perish by a parent's hand._

The mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy's mouth. She sat down on a rock and became still.

Naruto's heart pounded harshly against his chest as his hands twitched uncontrollably. His chakra fluctuated and he had a wild look in his eyes.

He was going to save Artemis. No matter what.


	5. The Art of Persuasion

Naruto glanced down at his hand. It was trembling. His instincts were practically _screaming_ at him to _run_ and go save Artemis. Huh. Thankfully, this was nowhere near the level of Kurama's initial hatred that had always made Naruto go berserk, and so Naruto was able to quickly calm himself down.

The prophecy the Oracle just gave sounded ominous, even though it reminded Naruto of Apollo's poetry -

Wait.

The Oracle is simply the medium through which Apollo gives his prophecies. Which meant. . . that _was_ Apollo's poetry. Naruto's eye twitched as he suddenly felt _unclean_.

"Has that ever happened before?" Nico asked excitedly, pointing at the Oracle.

Chiron glanced at him, distracted. "Hmm? Oh, you mean the floating Oracle? No, never."

"Will we get to see it float back?" Nico stared intently at the Oracle, as if expecting it to take flight at any moment.

Chiron opened his mouth to speak but froze. "That. . ." he began cautiously, "Is a really good question."

Immediately, everyone looked at the Oracle. It didn't move - just sat there on the rock.

"I don't like where this is going," Percy muttered.

Chiron clapped his hands together cheerfully. "Alright campers! Looks like the Oracle is going to remain an inanimate mummy for now, so I need two volunteers to carry her back. Anyone?"

The campers all determinedly avoided Chiron's gaze.

Chiron frowned. "Really? Come on. Being a hero isn't all about slaying monsters - you gotta do the mundane work as well. It builds character."

Every camper smartly kept their silence.

Chiron sighed. "Oh, very well." He pulled out a pile of sticks from his pouch. "Let's draw straws."

The campers all groaned.

"Chiron, this isn't fair!" Connor yelled. "The Oracle came out by herself - why can't she get herself back?"

"Did you just volunteer?" Chiron asked with a raised eyebrow.

Connor smiled. "Did you say draw straws? I. Am. _In!_ Come on, gimme one."

"That's what I thought."

One by one, the campers filed along and each drew a straw from Chiron's hand.

"Percy is the smallest," Travis snickered.

Percy was too busy looking at his straw in horror to react to Travis. "Oh gods. I don't want to touch that - that thing. Please. Please." He looked desperately at Chiron. "This has to be a mistake. I. . . I can't do this."

"Fair is fair, Percy. Who has the second shortest straw? Speak up now," Chiron called.

Grover bleated in despair, a forlorn look on his face and the second shortest straw in his hand. "Why? Why me? I'm allergic to dead people."

Chiron chuckled. "Oh, if I had a drachma for every time I've heard that excuse. . . anyway, off you go. The Oracle isn't going anywhere by herself."

As Percy and Grover walked over to the Oracle with the same air as condemned men walking to the gallows, Naruto suddenly burst out laughing.

Chiron looked at him, confused. "Is everything alright, Naruto? I admit, today's events have been rather hectic - "

Naruto waved off his concerns, still chuckling. "Oh, no, it's nothing. I just realized something."

"If you say so," Chiron shot him one last concerned glance - he's probably seen his fair share of demigods snapping - and announced to everyone, "If you're a cabin leader, come to the Big House. I'm calling an emergency councilor council meeting. Everyone else: early winter light's out. Go back to bed."

"Yo, Nico," Travis called. "I gotta go to this meeting. Can you show Naruto around?"

Nico nodded. "Yup!"

"Sweet. Oh, and there's a pack of cards on your bed," Travis gave Nico a meaningful glance as he walked to the Big House. "Keep it."

Nico groaned exasperatedly. "For the last time: poker is not better than Mythomagic! Come on, Naruto, let's get away from this heretic."

Naruto paused. "Actually, Nico, I need to go talk to Chiron first. I want to join this quest."

Nico's eyes grew impossibly wide. "No way," he breathed. "That's awesome! Good luck! I'll save you a bed."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Nico."

Chiron simply stood there, gazing off into the distance, a serious expression on his face as the campers and Hunters dispersed. He made a strange hand sign - a three-fingered claw over his heart - then he pushed it outward, as if warding off something. Must be a centaur thing.

"Hey Chiron?" Naruto said while approaching Chiron.

Chiron turned and looked at him. "Yes, Naruto?"

"Can I come to the meeting?" Naruto asked.

Chiron shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Please?"

"No. You aren't a cabin leader."

"Lord Apollo sent me."

"No - wait, what?" Chiron stared at Naruto incredulously. "Are you for real?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

Chiron's eyes widened slightly. "Oh? Interesting. Very well, then. Follow me."

Success! Naruto shot a smirk upwards where Apollo was undoubtedly watching him.

 _Ha! Sucks, doesn't it,_ Lord _Apollo. What are you gonna do about it?_

. . . hopefully, Apollo didn't hear that. He couldn't read thoughts. Right? That couldn't have possibly counted as a prayer.

(Naruto was probably going to pay for that later.)

"Why did Lord Apollo send you?" Chiron asked curiously as they made their way to the Big House.

"Because Lady Artemis was captured, and Apollo is worried for her, so he sent me to join this quest to retrieve her," Naruto explained.

"No, you misunderstand. I'm well aware of Lord Apollo's affection for Lady Artemis. My question is: why did Lord Apollo send _you_?"

Naruto paused. "Did you not see how I blocked Thalia's lightning bolt? Or kicked that Hunter tiara girl to the ground - oh gods that sounds terrible when I put it that way."

Chiron made a noise of understanding. "I see, I see. Forgive me - your young age makes it easy to forget the extent of your abilities."

Sometimes, Naruto forgot that he had the appearance of a ten year old. At least Chiron didn't mention his height -

"Your small stature also masks your power."

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT I'M SHORT!" He had been tall once! Before he had been reborn. Thank the gods he's aging at an accelerated rate -

Oh no. Oh no no no.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Chiron asked concernedly. "You just paled considerably."

"It's. . . it's nothing," Naruto whispered. Did he have to go through puberty again? He shook his head in denial. There was no way. He'll. . . he'll find a solution. With magic, perhaps.

He doesn't want to go through puberty again.

"May I ask what you had found so funny earlier?" Chiron inquired.

Naruto tilted his head. "What are you - oh. That." He smirked. "I wouldn't call myself a master at seeing through the Mist, but I'm. . . adequate. And I'm almost certain that the straws were all the same size."

Chiron's eyes widened before he chuckled. "You are the first in a long time to see through it. You are correct: I manipulated the Mist to make it so that Percy and Grover would be the ones to carry back the Oracle."

"Why?"

Chiron shrugged. "Why not?"

Fair enough.

"For future's reference, the Hunter you. . . sent to the ground was Zoe Nightshade. Please, do not refer to her as 'the Hunter tiara girl' - I'd like to avoid a major incident."

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "My bad."

"I already asked you once before, but in light of new information, I'll ask again. Naruto, do you know your Olympian parent?" They reached the Big House porch. Chiron backed up into his wheelchair, reverting to wheelchair form.

"No," Naruto answered.

Chiron raised his left eyebrow. "Really?" he asked doubtfully.

"Really," Naruto nodded nervously.

Chiron didn't seem convinced but he didn't push further. Naruto walked and Chiron wheeled into the rec room. There was a Ping-Pong table in the middle, and the councilors were setting up chairs.

Mr. D sat at one end of the table. He had materialized a leather couch for himself and was currently sipping from a can of Diet Coke and reading a wine magazine. Chiron wheeled over to sit next to him.

At the other end, Zoe and Bianca were staring at the occupants of the room. Bianca looked confused and slightly nervous, while Zoe looked extremely disgruntled.

Thalia, Grover and Percy sat along the right and Beckendorf, Silena, and the Stoll brothers sat along the left.

They all frowned when they saw Naruto walk in.

"Naruto?" Percy spoke up. "What are you doing here?"

"Attending the meeting."

Percy's frown deepened but before he could say anything else, Zoe began the meeting. "This is pointless."

Naruto blinked. Okay then.

"There is no time for talk. Lady Artemis needs us," Zoe gazed around the room defiantly. "We must leave immediately."

"And go where?" Chiron asked innocently.

"West!" Bianca said confidently. "You heard the prophecy - _Five shall go west to the goddess in chains_."

"West," Chiron repeated dryly. "How. . . specific."

"Artemis is being held hostage," Zoe continued. "We must find her and free her. I can ready a group of Hunters and leave immediately."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Did you not hear the prophecy? _Campers and Hunters combined prevail_. As much as I hate the idea, we have to work together."

Naruto smiled. Teamwork! Kakashi-sensei would be _so_ proud of the Oracle.

Zoe scowled. "We do not need thy help."

"The prophecy says you _do_ need our help," Chiron steepled his fingers together. "Campers and Hunters must cooperate. Unless you wish to go against a prophecy?"

"That doesn't mean that a camper must go with us on the quest," Zoe said stubbornly. " _Campers_ could just be metaphorical for something else. Perhaps if we took some Hephaestus-cabin-made weapons, it would count as _combined_."

Chiron didn't even dignify that with a reply, instead just raising his eyebrows skeptically.

Zoe held his stare for a moment before sighing. "Very well."

Chiron smiled serenely. "I'm glad you agree. Now that you have fulfilled your moral obligation to argue against any form of cooperation with campers, let us proceed with analyzing the situation."

"Lady Artemis needs to be rescued immediately and without any delay," Bianca said. "That's literally the situation. What else do we need to analyze?"

"Zoe!" Chiron said, aghast. "What have you been teaching her? I know that she's new and all, but come on!"

"She hasn't gotten to Advanced Questing yet," Zoe waved her hand. "Bianca, when going on a quest, information analysis is essential to maximize the chances of success. We must first establish common facts and inferences so that everyone is on the same page - after all, if even one person is unaware of a vital fact, it could end badly."

"Advanced Questing?" Thalia asked. "Hunters go on quests perhaps once a century. Why do you have a class for that?"

Zoe smirked. "We have a class for _everything_. We're the Hunters of Artemis, after all. And also, every few decades, Lord Apollo would visit and give us a prophecy personally." She paused. "We don't know if they're _real_ prophecies, but we still follow them, just in case it's _actually_ genuine."

Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose. _Apollo. . ._

"In any case, since we are forced to take the campers along with us, it's best to do the analysis right now with them," Zoe continued.

"Ah, understood," Bianca nodded.

"The winter solstice is in five days - an annual Council meeting," Zoe stated.

Dionysus groaned. "Please, don't remind me. As if _monthly_ meetings aren't bad enough. You won't _believe_ how boring these meetings are."

Nobody looked sympathetic.

"Artemis's presence at this meeting is critical. She has been one of the most vocal on the Council alongside Lady Athena arguing for action against the Titans," Zoe's expression darkened but it cleared up so quickly, Naruto wasn't sure if it actually happened. "If she is absent, then the gods will not decide on anything, and we will lose another year of war preparations, causing the gods to be entirely and utterly unprepared for the inevitable Titan uprising."

Dionysus leaned forward. "Oh? Is that your opinion of the gods?"

Zoe stared back, not intimidated in the slightest. "It's not an opinion - it's a fact."

Dionysus nodded. "You're right, of course. I was just checking. The inefficiency of the Council is almost amazing. Did you all know that I once had to sit through a three hour debate between Athena and Hephaestus on the basic rights of _automatons_? It was _dreadful_."

Beckendorf straightened up. "You know, that's actually a fascinating topic. After all, we are capable of giving automatons the ability to feel pain. But is that morally allowed? Is it even _true_ pain - "

Dionysus glared at Beckendorf. Purple flames flickered within his eyes, and the scent of grapes filled the room, giving Naruto visions of insanity and madness. " _Did I ask_?"

Beckendorf gulped. "I'll shut up now."

"How wise of you."

Chiron rubbed his chin. "An even more pressing matter is that we must locate the monster Lady Artemis had been hunting."

"The bane of Olympus. . ." Zoe's fingers tapped a disjointed rhythm on the table. "Even with all the years I've spent hunting with Artemis, I do not know what this beast may be."

"Is it really that important?" Travis asked. "I mean, it's just a 'bane,' right? That means that it's an enemy. Olympus has a lot of enemies."

"This monster will bring the downfall of Olympus," Percy said grimly. "Thorn said it, and Artemis confirmed it."

Naruto's eyes widened. What was this monster?! This world's equivalent of the Bijuu?

Chiron sighed. "I'm afraid that even with my many millennia's worth of knowledge, I do not know what it could be."

Everyone turned to look at Dionysus. Dionysus glanced up from his wine magazine. "What?"

"Umm. . . sir, you're a god," Thalia began. "Surely you know?"

Dionysus sighed. "I may be a god, but I'm a _young_ god. Why would I care about all these ancient monsters? The only ones on the Council who even bothers to keep track of them are Artemis, Athena, and Apollo. The rest, including me, don't really care."

"I can see why the Council would be doomed without Artemis," Percy muttered.

"Quiet, unless you wish to experience the world through the eyes of a dolphin."

"Apollo? Seriously?!" Naruto asked incredulously.

Dionysus paused. "Well, okay, Apollo's only on the list because of his prophecy powers - and they're hit-or-miss most of the time, so I doubt he knows what this monster is."

Naruto relaxed. "Okay, good, good." If Apollo was actually _responsible_ , then Naruto would have to check the skies because pigs _will_ be flying.

"Chiron, you don't have any idea at all?" Percy asked.

"I have ideas," Chiron responded. "However, none of them make sense. It's not Typhon - if it was Typhon, then we would know."

"How would we know?" Beckendorf asked. "Did Dad build a detection system?"

"Not quite," Chiron shook his head. "If Typhon was loose, then we would know because the United States would suddenly be struck with a series of 'natural disasters' - at least, according to the mortals. An unprecedented amount of destruction would occur."

"Oh."

"Keto would also certainly fit the description of 'the bane of Olympus'. However, if it had been stirring, then Poseidon would surely know - Keto, for all her power, doesn't exactly know the definition of 'subtlety.'" Chiron pursed his lips. "The monster that Artemis was hunting. . . it's elusive. And I fear it may be even more powerful."

There was a moment of silence at that declaration.

"Oh well," Chiron sighed. "I doubt we will correctly guess the identity of the monster, so let us not waste any more time."

" _One shall be lost in the land without rain_ ," Thalia said. "Deserts will be dangerous."

There was a muttering of agreement -

"What? No!" Naruto objected.

Thalia turned to him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think there's a desert in the US where it's never rained before. Little rain, perhaps, but the prophecy said _land without rain_ , implying that it's never rained before," Naruto explained. "It's much more likely that the prophecy is referring to a place where it's magically charmed to never rain."

"Ohh, that makes sense - " Thalia froze. Suddenly, everyone looked around nervously.

Naruto frowned. "What's the problem?"

"Camp Half-Blood is a place magically charmed to never rain," Grover crunched on a cracker, eyes darting around anxiously.

Percy sighed. "Come on, guys. Don't you remember? It rained 2 years ago, when Zeus had gotten mad at me."

A beat.

"I had forgotten about that," Chiron admitted. "You see, a demigod had never enraged Zeus so much to the point of him making it rain. You have a gift, Percy."

"Gee, thanks."

"Not to mention the _Titan's curse_ ," Silena brought up. "What could it be?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed when he saw Chiron and Zoe exchange a look of apprehension and fear. They knew something.

"I do not know for certain, but. . ." Chiron trailed off when Zoe shook her head.

"If you do not know for certain, then let us move on - there's no time to waste."

" _One shall perish by a parent's hand,"_ Thalia said grimly.

A heavy silence descended upon the table.

Naruto glanced around, frowning. Why did everyone start looking at Thalia and Percy - oh. They were children of the Big Three, and. . . as much as Naruto hated it, there was a good chance that Zeus and Poseidon would strike them down before they reached 16. He clenched his fists.

"Anyway," Chiron redirected the conversation. "Let us decide on the quest members."

"I will take two campers at most," Zoe stared at Chiron, daring him to challenge her. He wisely conceded with a nod of his head. "Phoebe will come with me - she's my best tracker."

"Ah, the daughter of Ares. I remember her," Chiron smiled thinly. "She had been the one to lead the charge against the campers when all-out warfare broke out when the camp began burning down."

Zoe coughed. "She already apologized for that."

"Isn't she the girl that hit me on the head?" Travis asked cautiously.

Zoe nodded.

"And she's the one who likes to takedown people whenever they get three feet within her?" Connor added.

"Yes," Zoe tilted her head. "Why?"

"Nothing. We saw her admiring this shirt earlier," Travis held up a big silver T-shirt that said _ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002_ with a list of national parks underneath. "It's a collector's item. You want to give it to her?"

"Oh, that shirt looks awesome!" Naruto said happily as he reached over and snatched it out of Travis's hand before he could react. "Thanks, dude."

"Naruto, give that back!" Travis snapped.

Naruto inclined his head. "I will - once you tell me why this shirt smells so. . . weird."

Connor froze before laughing nervously. "W-w-what are you talking about?"

Zoe glared at the Stoll brothers. "Naruto, please elaborate."

"I can smell blood on this shirt - but it's not normal blood. It has a trace of. . . acidity, if you know what I mean."

Zoe's eyes narrowed even more. "Give me the shirt, Naruto."

Naruto passed her the shirt. She examined it closely before sniffing it. "I do not smell anything weird."

"See?" Travis said triumphantly. "It's nothing - hey wait, what are you doing - "

Zoe experimentally stuck her pinky finger into the inside of the shirt and immediately jerked back, hissing in pain. Her finger steamed and turned red. "Blood. . . centaur blood." She turned to the Stoll brothers, who were grinning nervously.

"Oops. Did we grab the wrong shirt?" Connor's eyes were wide, the very epitome of innocence.

Zoe's hand _blurred_ and a second later a hunting dagger embedded itself in the wall behind Travis. A small cut opened up on his cheek.

"Okay, that's not fair," he whined. "Why me? Why didn't you go for Connor?"

"You took one for the team," Connor patted Travis on the back. "Don't worry. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

"Isn't centaur blood poisonous?" Bianca glared at the Stoll brothers. "In fact, didn't it _kill_ Heracles?" Zoe's eyes flickered imperceptibly at the name.

"Whoa!" Travis held up his hands defensively. "We diluted the blood. At worst, it would've made her break out in hives for several weeks."

"Why would you _do_ that?" Bianca demanded.

"She broke my arm yesterday."

"She broke three of my ribs."

Bianca paused. "Oh."

Chiron smiled cheerfully. "In any case, Connor, Travis, congratulations!"

Connor and Travis looked at each other, then at Chiron warily. "What for?"

"For the rest of this month, you two will be responsible for _everything_ around the camp," Chiron nodded. "Stables cleaning, kitchen duty, _everything_."

"What?!" Travis cried out indignantly. "Why?! Don't tell me you actually _care_ that we laced that shirt with centaur blood. Phoebe wouldn't have died - and besides, she already injured numerous campers!"

"You can't do that! That's not fair!" Connor shouted.

Chiron slammed his fist down on the table, silencing them both. A crack formed on the surface - holy hell, Chiron was _strong_. "Connor. . . Travis. . ." Chiron began dangerously, a menacing glint in his eyes, "Do you two fools have _any_ idea what would've happened if Phoebe did put on that shirt and got injured?"

"Umm," Connor hesitantly said, "She'll be incapacitated for a few weeks - "

"YOU FOOL!" Chiron bellowed. "I'd have to fill out at least five different incident reports! Lady Artemis, once she is freed, would go absolutely _ballistic_. Funding for the camp - _cut in half!_ She will _swamp_ me in paperwork!" He breathed heavily. "Do you understand just how _bad_ Olympian paperwork is? _Gods don't die! They live forever!_ Doing paperwork for a week straight - that's considered _normal to them!_ "

Dionysus snickered. "Imagine having to do _paperwork_."

"With all respect, Lord Dionysus," Chiron said politely, "Shut your mouth."

Naruto's eyes widened as he turned to Dionysus, half-expecting him to inflict Chiron with a terrible madness. Dionysus, for his part, simply chuckled. "As you wish, my dear friend. As long as you keep on doing all my paperwork for me, I'll shut up whenever you want."

. . . oh. That's how it was.

"We've gotten off track," Zoe tapped her fingers on the table. "For the next quest member, I wish Bianca to go."

Bianca looked stunned. "What? Me? I'm new!"

"You'll do fine," Zoe insisted. "Think of it as. . . proving thyself. Besides - " and here, she shared a glance with Chiron again. "I can sense that you are strong." Chiron shot her a sorrowful look, which Naruto didn't really understand.

Bianca bit her lip. "O-okay then." She straightened up, and the faint silver glow on her skin intensified a bit. "I'll go save Lady Artemis."

"I don't get it," Percy spoke up, a confused expression on his face.

"Get what?" Zoe asked. "Bianca is more than competent enough to do well on this quest. Besides, didn't you go on thy first quest when you were only twelve years old - "

Percy waved it off. "No, I'm not talking about that. I don't get how Naruto was able to smell that there was something _off_ about that shirt, but Grover wasn't."

Everyone went silent as they thought over Percy's words.

"Hey," Grover said in between bites of - was he eating an _aluminum can_?! "Ever since we met Lady Artemis, my senses have been a little wonky. I mean, how else would you explain that Naruto has Lady Artemis's scent?"

Naruto went unnaturally still. Oh no. Satyrs and their ridiculously good sense of smell.

Zoe leaned forward, intrigued. "Say what now? Are you saying that Naruto smells like Lady Artemis?"

Grover nodded. "Yeah. I noticed it this afternoon."

Silena frowned. "How is that possible?"

Damn. Damn damn damn. This was bad. This was really bad.

It's time for even more Kakashi-sensei level bullshitting.

"To understand that. . . well, let me reveal why I'm even _at_ this meeting first." Naruto looked at Zoe determinedly. "I wish to go on this quest."

The moment of silence was broken by Dionysus's laugh. "Oh, they sure like to start young, don't they? Die young, too."

"Denied," Zoe said flatly. "I will not take you along for this quest - "

She froze, as did everyone else in the room. The walls trembled and the Ping-Pong table shook as a massive force exploded out from Naruto. The incredible pressure weighed down on every occupant as they all felt the sheer _intent_ behind the chakra - not the suffocating, oppressive Killing Intent but rather the iron will of a shinobi that has already lost too much and isn't willing to lose any more.

"I'm afraid you will," Naruto spoke in a low, dangerous tone. "You see, Lord Apollo sent me to join this quest. I'm sure that you of all people should know just how much Apollo cares for Artemis, and while he may be bound by the Ancient Laws to not directly interfere in this quest, indirect interference through a hero is allowed."

"And he sent _you_?" Zoe asked in disbelief.

"Oh come on!" Naruto complained. "You too? What, do you and Chiron both have no faith in my powers? I assure you: what you have seen tonight was but a fraction of my power." Gods, he sounded like an Uchiha. "Lord Apollo sent me because he is fully confident in my skill and abilities."

Thalia hesitated. "Say what you will, Zoe, but he _did_ stop my lightning bolt with his bare hands - "

"Not quite," Naruto interrupted. "I stopped it with my chakra."

"Chakra?" Chiron repeated.

"It's my unique power," a spiraling blue sphere formed in Naruto's hand. Grover leaped back, almost falling over his chair in surprise. Silena gazed at it with admiration in her eyes; clearly, as a child of Aphrodite, she appreciated aesthetic things, and while the Rasengan was a jutsu meant for killing, it was also. . . _pretty_ \- although Naruto will always deny that. Beckendorf leaned forward in interest, analyzing it less on its aesthetics and more on its structure.

"Whoa!" Percy leaned forward, getting a better look. "Why didn't you show this to us this afternoon? That looks _awesome_!"

Zoe narrowed her eyes, and Naruto could see the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Naruto nodded approvingly. As a Hunter, her instincts must be screaming at her that this was _dangerous_. "What is that?" she hissed.

"It's chakra. My unique power." The Rasengan fizzled out. "Specifically, the thing I just created is called the 'Rasengan' - I used it to block Thalia's lightning bolt. I guess the light from the lightning covered it up."

"Is it magic?" Thalia asked.

"No. It's chakra."

". . . it looks like magic to me."

"Trust me, it's not. Apollo already confirmed it; if it is magic, it's a type that the gods have never seen before. Isn't that right, Lord Dionysus?"

Dionysus nodded slowly. "From what I have sensed, that power is completely new to me. I have never felt anything like it before." He gazed at Naruto, and, for the first time since Naruto's met him, he looked fully serious. "I'll give you one and only one word of warning: use that power wisely."

"I will," Naruto nodded. "Anyway, will you let me go on this quest?"

Zoe narrowed her eyes, leaning forward. "All we have is your word that Lord Apollo sent you. You are new to this camp, nobody knows you, and nobody can vouch for you. How can we even trust what you say?"

"I swear on the River Styx that I am here because of Apollo," Thunder boomed in the distance. Naruto frowned. "Does that always happen?"

Dionysus snorted. "The gods, Naruto, have a penchant of being extremely dramatic. Styx is no exception to that rule."

"Huh. In any case, there you have it," Naruto tilted his head. "I assure you, I have one goal and one goal only, and that is to retrieve Lady Artemis."

Technically, he had been telling the truth when he swore on the Styx. He _was_ at Camp Half-Blood because of Apollo; if Apollo hadn't told him about Artemis's situation, he wouldn't have come. It may have been a technicality, but given how he wasn't suffering or dying, Styx had accepted it.

"Well then," Chiron rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Zoe, it is not wise to ignore the gods. Even Lord Apollo. If Lord Apollo wishes for Naruto to join this quest, then. . ." He trailed off meaningfully.

Zoe was silent for a moment. "I am not foolish," she finally said.

"Shocker," Thalia muttered.

"If Lord Apollo wishes for Naruto to join," Zoe continued, "Then I have no choice."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you - "

"On one condition, of course," Zoe stared intently at Naruto. "Tell me: why do you fight?"

Thalia frowned. "What do you mean? He already told us: he wants to join this quest because Apollo told him to."

Zoe shook her head. "I highly doubt that is the only reason. Even if they're commanded to do something by the gods, most heroes fight for something, whether it's for glory, honor, riches, or even self-preservation. No male hero possesses such a professionalism that their sole reason for sacrificing themselves is because 'a god told them to.' So I ask you, Naruto, while Apollo may have told you to join the quest to save Lady Artemis, why are _you_ fighting?"

Oh. So that was the problem. From Zoe's perspective, Naruto's just a little kid who has no ties to Artemis whatsoever. She wished to understand the motivation behind his actions. Naruto gave a mental nod of approval - while it was important to understand your enemies, understanding your comrades is even more important.

"Can you imagine what it was like to be raised by Apollo?" Naruto asked.

Zoe's reply was prompt and blunt. "Hell."

Dionysus snickered. "I will _pay_ you to say that to his face."

Naruto didn't speak for a moment. "You know, you're not wrong. It _was_ hell - but not for the reasons you think. I lived in one of Apollo's. . . temples my entire life. I was never allowed to leave, and nobody was allowed to come in and see me."

Zoe's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

Naruto cursed. He didn't come up for a reason for that. Come on, think, think - "It's because he couldn't risk my chakra being discovered by the Titans." That should work.

Zoe nodded, satisfied. "I see."

"Yup. Needless to say, life kinda sucked," Naruto's eyes unfocused for a second. "For the first part of my life, Apollo was the only being I came in contact with. And even then, he was present for only a few hours a day - if that. I had been completely alone."

"Then I met Artemis." Naruto smiled. "She had been at Apollo's mansion for some reason. When she noticed me, instead of ignoring me and walking away, she took the time to talk to me. And she was kind. After so long, she was the one to rescue me from my loneliness."

Zoe's gaze softened slightly.

"After that, she didn't forget about me. She visited every so often. Once, she even brought a gift." Naruto took out a single silver kunai and tossed it to Zoe. She caught it out of the air and examined the designs etched on the blade: the moon and the bow.

"And that is why I wish to save Artemis." At that moment, the intensity and determination burning in Naruto's eyes rivaled Amaterasu's flames itself. "Because she's someone precious to me."

Zoe's eyes widened, and for the first time since Naruto arrived, she looked at him without any distaste whatsoever.

"I don't care if I have to sacrifice my life," Naruto continued. He clenched his fists. "Just. . . please. Let me go on this quest."

Zoe regarded Naruto pensively for several seconds. Then she nodded. "That. . . that is a good reason for fighting." She smiled. "Welcome to the quest, Naruto."

Naruto blinked. It. . . it worked? It worked!

He grinned brightly. "Thank you. I won't let you down."

"Ah, the joys of having a tragic backstory," Dionysus idly commented.

Chiron coughed. "Sir, I believe they were having a moment there. Did you really have to interject?"

"Ah, my dear centaur, I interjected _because_ they were having a moment."

"Before today, you didn't know anyone except for Apollo and Artemis?" Percy asked in horrified fascination.

"I also knew Hestia," Naruto added. "She would visit now and then."

"How are you _sane_?!" Beckendorf leaned away from Naruto, as if expecting him to snap at any moment.

Naruto shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be sane?" It's not like he hasn't gone through loneliness once before.

"To not have any company but Apollo on a daily basis. . ." Thalia tapped her fingers on the table. "That sounds. . ."

"Terrible?" Zoe supplied.

"Yeah. He's not that bad in small doses, but every single day for years, with nobody else. . ." Thalia shuddered.

"I mean, he's not too bad," Naruto defended. "He's just. . . annoying sometimes."

"Understatement of the millenia," Zoe muttered. "We need one more camper."

"I'll go." Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.

Percy questioned her. "Whoa, wait a sec, I want to go too."

"No," Zoe refused. "You are a boy."

". . . Naruto is a boy too."

"Yes, but Lord Apollo wishes for Naruto to join the quest." Zoe tilted her head. "What's more, Naruto places Lady Artemis above everything else, even his own life. Would you do the same, Percy Jackson? If you had to pick between saving Annabeth and saving Artemis, who would you choose?"

Percy flinched as if struck. "You can't - "

"That's what I thought."

"I _have_ to go!" Percy protested.

"No," Zoe said flatly.

Percy looked to Chiron desperately. "Chiron. . ."

Chiron sighed sadly. "Zoe has the final say on who she takes with her on the quest. I am sorry, Percy. I know how worried you are for Annabeth, but I cannot force her to take you."

Naruto actually felt really, really bad for Percy. He had almost forgotten, but Percy had lost someone precious to him too.

"So be it," Chiron declared. "Naruto and Thalia will accompany Zoe, Phoebe, and Biana. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods" - he shot Dionysus a pointed look - "Lord Dionysus included, we hope - be with you."

Dionysus sighed. "Why do you _always_ try to guilt-trip me into helping? It's not going to work."

Chiron shrugged. "Can't fault a centaur for trying. I'd rather not have to bury my students. On that note, Naruto, while you may be powerful enough that Lord Apollo himself sent you. . . please, be careful. There are still beings out there more powerful than you."

"If you shows any signs of arrogance, I'll stab you" Zoe casually added.

Naruto gulped. "Noted."

"Wait," Grover said as everyone was getting up. "Naruto, you still didn't explain why you smell like Lady Artemis."

Naruto blinked. "Oh. Umm. . ." _I'm sorry, Apollo. But I'm afraid I'll have to drag your name through the mud - although to be fair, it was already pretty muddy_. "Apollo had these Artemis-scented candles all around his mansion. So I guess the smell got soaked into me."

Dead silence.

Zoe shuddered. "I did not need to know that. Bianca, remind me to shoot Apollo in the face the next time I see him."

 _Sorry Apollo. Your sacrifice will not be in vain_. Naruto could swear he heard a facepalm come from far, far above.

XxX

As Naruto made his way back to the Hermes cabin, he caught sight of someone tending to the flames. He smiled and walked over.

"Hey Hestia," Naruto grinned in greeting.

Hestia turned to him, smiling warmly. "Hello there, Naruto. I must say, I did not expect to see you tonight. I heard you gave Apollo the slip."

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Yeah. . ." He paused. "You're not going to try to bring me back right?"

Hestia shook her head. "Of course not! I assume you came here because you heard that Artemis was captured?"

Naruto nodded. "I joined the quest group."

Hestia blinked. "Wasn't the quest leader Zoe Nightshade?"

"Yup."

"How did you convince her?" Hestia asked, intrigued.

Naruto smirked. "I told her that Apollo sent me to join the quest."

Hestia's eyes widened in shock before she laughed. "That's. . . that's beautiful."

"I know," Naruto grinned smugly. "The irony is amazing. She also asked for my reason for fighting."

"Oh." Hestia looked saddened. "Yes, she would certainly care about that."

Naruto frowned. "Why?"

"That is not my story to tell," Hestia sighed.

They stood there for a moment, enjoying the pleasant warmth of the hearth.

"That is a clever disguise you have. I almost didn't recognize you tonight," Hestia tilted her head. "Is it your chakra?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup. Henge no Jutsu. Allows me to transform into anything."

"I don't sense any Mist cloaking you," Hestia frowned. "If you transform into another form, how would we know that it's you? Is there a way?"

Naruto pursed his lips. "Umm. . ." Chakra sensing was out. Other than that. . . "I'm fairly certain the only method is by scent." The Henge may be a basic E-ranked Academy jutsu, but it was _extremely_ useful. Especially Naruto's. . . variants of it.

(He still couldn't believe Reverse Harem worked on Kaguya.)

Hestia nodded. "I see. I only recognized you tonight because of your whisker marks. They're hard to miss." Her countenance turned serious. "All that aside. . . how are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Artemis," Hestia said simply.

Naruto went still. "Oh. I'm okay."

Hestia looked at him, concerned. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Because we will save her." Naruto said determinedly.

Hestia blinked. "Your optimism is nice to see." She tilted her head. "But how can you be so certain?"

Naruto grinned. "Because I believe I can. There's no point entertaining any doubts or uncertainty, because once you question your own beliefs, it's over. Oh, and there's also the fact that I'll never give up until she's free."

Hestia chuckled. "So what you're saying is that it doesn't matter _what_ the Titans do - you'll always be persistently trying to save her, like an irritating mosquito that just wouldn't go away?"

"Yup!" Naruto confirmed cheerfully. "Although I don't like the mosquito metaphor very much. I'd prefer. . . a persistent toad that just wouldn't stop asking you for candy."

Hestia inclined her head. "Just. . ." Hestia turned to him, a slight hint of worry in her warm, brown eyes. "Be prepared for the worst. I. . . I don't want to see you broken."

Naruto's eyes widened as he was suddenly overcome with a wave of emotion. If he loses Artemis. . . it would be like losing Jiraiya all over again. It would be like losing his entire _world_ all over again. She was his mother. If she -

No. Naruto refused to even _begin_ thinking those thoughts. There was no point in thinking them. After all, Naruto will save Artemis. No matter what. And so, Naruto smiled at Hestia. "Don't worry about it." His expression turned a little sad. "Besides. . . I'm strong."

Hestia gazed at him for a few moments before sighing tiredly. "I don't like the Titans very much."

Naruto cracked a small smile. "Neither do I."

"Father is rising," Hestia absently poked at the fire with a stick. "When you go on the quest, be careful. He is a master of manipulation and deception - there is a reason why he is called the Crooked One."

"As long as he isn't a presumed-dead puppet" - Obito - "being controlled by another puppet" - Madara - "being controlled by another puppet" - Black Zetsu - "being controlled by its mother, then I think we should be good. I know how to look underneath the underneath." After dealing with Black Zetsu and his machinations, Naruto fully embraced the art of looking underneath the underneath. Kakashi-sensei would be proud.

Hestia nodded, deep in thought. She fell silent for a moment. "Naruto?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't die on this quest," she murmured quietly.

Naruto laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Trust me, I have no intentions of dying." Again.

Hestia nodded. "Don't do anything foolish. You may be strong, but. . . there are still stronger beings out there. Don't grow arrogant and careless like so many heroes before you had." She looked away. "I don't want to lose you. You are the first in a long time that I can call. . . a friend."

Naruto drew in a sharp breath as his eyes widened in shock. Then he smiled happily. "I'll come back alive and well. I promise."

"Thank you."

"And Hestia?"

Hestia turned to him. "Yes?"

Naruto shot her a beaming smile. "You're my friend too."

Hestia smiled back warmly. "I know."

XxX

Naruto stretched his arms as he walked towards the Hermes cabin, sighing contentedly as he felt his spine crack. He didn't understand how people in this new world could sit down all day in cubicles. Naruto would go insane after just an hour of not moving.

"Naruto?" A new voice spoke up behind him.

Naruto whirled around in surprise, a kunai in his hand.

Chiron stood there in horse form. He looked down at the kunai in Naruto's hand. "A bit trigger-happy there, hmm?"

"Sorry," Naruto apologized as he put the kunai back in his pouch. "You surprised me."

Chiron had been astonishingly silent - although Chiron _was_ several thousand years old. He may be a teacher, but he was also powerful - probably more powerful than most of the heroes at this camp.

"It's quite alright," Chiron waved it off. "In fact, your reflexes are just what some of the heroes at this camp need." He sighed despairingly. "You will not believe how many of them lack an adequate reaction time."

"A lot?"

Chiron sighed once more. "Sadly, yes. Walk with me, Naruto. I wish to speak with you."

Naruto's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion but he followed Chiron anyway. There was nobody outside - they had all gone back to their cabins.

"You're about to embark on your first quest tomorrow," Chiron said conversationally.

Naruto nodded. "Yup."

"I confess, I am rather. . . concerned that you are going. You have not been at this camp for even a day yet. I haven't taught you anything." Chiron tilted his head. "While it may be a little too late for a physical lesson, I suppose the least I can do is give you some advice."

Naruto inclined his head, paying close attention. This right here was Chiron, the legendary trainer of heroes. He had been alive for thousands of years. He was perhaps the only person at camp whose combat knowledge and strategy may be greater than Naruto's - indeed, Naruto considered Chiron to be this world's version of Jiji, the Sandaime Hokage - not in terms of power, but rather, the knowledge and wisdom that gave Jiji the moniker of "The Professor."

If Chiron was going to give Naruto some advice, then Naruto would listen.

"Naruto," Chiron stopped and turned to look directly at Naruto, his expression utterly serious. " _Don't be stupid_."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"For you see, it's almost as if you heroes _want_ to end your existence in the dumbest, most avoidable way possible!" Chiron flung up his hands. "Do you understand just how _difficult_ it has been for me in the past few thousands of years? The sheer _stupidity_ , _lack of foresight_ , and all-around _foolishness_ of you heroes is almost _amazing!_ "

Naruto coughed lightly. "Umm. . . what?"

"I mean, really!" Chiron looked up to the sky. "You'd think that after several hundred years, you all will have learned to not provoke the gods. But no! You heroes seem to _crave_ death through acts of gods! It's as if you _enjoy_ not ever being able to collect on insurance!"

"Chiron, are you, uhh, okay there?"

Chiron paused. "Ah, forgive me if I'm ranting a little." He stared down at his hands. They were shaking slightly. "Perhaps I'm a bit more unsettled by the situation than I had thought." He smiled reassuringly. "In any case, the advice I have for you is simple. _Don't be stupid_."

"Ok."

"I'm serious. You haven't attended any of my Common Sense or Self-Preservation classes yet, so I'm a little worried," Chiron tilted his head. "Allow me to give you a pop quiz, just to see if you're truly ready."

". . . okay?" Naruto had not been expecting this.

"Are you going to infiltrate the Underworld to try to make the Lord of the Underworld's wife your own wife?"

"Umm, no."

"Are you going to drive the sun chariot without knowing how to drive?"

". . . no."

"If you see Lady Artemis naked and taking a bath, will you propose to her?"

Naruto suppressed a shiver of revulsion. "Absolutely not."

Chiron nodded. "Good. You passed the quiz."

"What even _were_ those questions?" Naruto asked incredulously. He paused as he remembered the old myths. "Oh. Theseus, Phaethon, and Actaeon."

"Indeed."

". . . they were _really_ stupid, weren't they."

Chiron sighed sadly and nodded once before changing the topic. "This quest is important. It is _vital_ that Artemis is present for the Council Meeting, and it is even more essential to locate the monster that she was hunting. Please, do not mess it up."

"Don't worry. I'll succeed." Then Naruto frowned. "Are you doing this to everyone?"

"Pardon?"

Naruto gestured vaguely with his hand. "You know, going around and ranting and giving pop quizzes."

"Of course not. I presume Zoe and Phoebe are lecturing Bianca right now, and I have already given the same speech to Thalia several months ago." Chiron smiled genially. "You were the only new person."

Naruto chuckled. "Alright then."

They stopped outside of the Hermes cabin. "Well then, I believe that will be all. Good night, Naruto."

"Good night, Chiron."

"Now then. I have to go talk to Percy, who is undoubtedly angsting and lamenting over how he wasn't able to join the quest," Chiron sighed. He turned to walk away, but then stopped and called, "Oh, and Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

XxX

"How did it go?" Nico asked.

Naruto grinned. "I'm going on the quest!"

"Awesome!" Nico grinned back. "Who else is going?"

"Zoe, Phoebe, Thalia, and Bianca," Naruto sat down on the bed next to Nico. It was surprisingly comfortable, although Naruto supposed that Hermes, as the god of travelers, would invest in some nice beds for his own cabin.

"Bianca's going?" Nico looked down, the grin disappearing from his face.

Naruto noticed. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Nico looked away.

"Nico. . ." Naruto reached out and touched Nico softly on the shoulder. "You can tell me."

Nico turned to hesitantly look at Naruto. "She. . . she already left me to join the Hunters. She might die on this quest. And then she'll leave me forever."

Naruto really only knew one way to respond to that. "I'll protect her for you, Nico."

"You will?" Nico asked hopefully.

Naruto smiled. "Of course! I'll keep her safe. I promise you that."

"Just a tip," Travis called, "You probably shouldn't make promises that you can't keep."

Connor punched him in the shoulder. Hard. "Bro, what the hell?"

"Ow!" Travis rubbed his shoulder. "Look, I don't want to be _that guy_ , but as a counselor, I have to be realistic here." He stood up from his bed and walked over to Naruto and Nico, his customary mischievous expression replaced with a solemn one. "People die on these quests. We got lucky on the last three quests - everyone lived - but this time, it might be different."

"How can you say that?" Nico glared.

Travis sighed miserably. "Trust me, I hate it as much as you do. But it's reality."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Wrong. I never go back on my word. Bianca will not die on this quest, I swear it."

Travis gazed at Naruto for a moment before giving up. "Fine. I tried." Then he gave Naruto a crooked grin. "So, all that aside, why don't you show us what else you can do with your 'chakra.'"

"Chakra?" Nico's eyebrows scrunched together.

"It's my unique power," Naruto explained. "And I can, uhh, dodge attacks with it. And make clones of myself."

Travis nodded. "Hmm, interesti - wait, did you just say you could _make clones of yourself?!"_

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

A clone appeared next to Naruto.

"Whoa!" Nico gasped in awe. In a flash, Connor and Travis were in front of the clone, staring at it reverently.

"Do. . . do my eyes deceive me?" Connor spoke in a higher pitch than usual.

"I don't think they do," Travis blinked back tears.

They both turned to Naruto.

"The perfect alibi."

"The perfect accomplice."

"Please," they chorused, "Teach us!"

Naruto chuckled. "I'm afraid I can't."

"Then join us!"

Naruto paused. "In what, exactly? I'm afraid you have to be a little more specific."

Connor gained a devious glint in his eyes. "I'm talking about the mystical art."

"The art of pranking!" Travis spread his arms wide. "Join us! You, me, Connor. . . the three of us will be _unstoppable_."

The two anxiously awaited Naruto's reply. Naruto simply gazed at them with an unreadable expression for a few moments. Then he smirked. "After the quest is over. . . well, let me just say this: Camp Half-Blood will _never forget our names_."

Connor whimpered. "A kindred spirit."

"It's amazing," Travis agreed.

XxX

Naruto woke up several hours before dawn. Unfortunately, he didn't have a demigod dream, so he didn't acquire any new information. He looked over. Nico was still asleep in the bed next to him.

He left the cabin, careful not to wake anyone, and walked towards the forest.

The second he entered the forest, he frowned. What were they doing there? He ambled along, breathing in the crisp, cool air.

Finally, after several minutes of walking, he neared the three people he had sensed. They had their backs to him, and appeared to be discussing something.

"Yo!" He called out.

They whirled around and Naruto's eyes widened as he grabbed a kunai and deflected ten silver arrows. "Whoa! I come in peace!"

Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe all had fierce expressions on their faces and were already nocking more arrows into their bows when they recognized Naruto. "Oh," Zoe said, lowering her bow. "It's you."

"Naruto!" Bianca's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!"

"It's fine. I didn't get hit," Naruto smiled cautiously. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"What are you doing out here?" Phoebe shot back, a suspicious look on her face.

"I was walking."

Phoebe scowled. "Really?"

"Really!" Naruto held up his hands in the universal gesture of surrender. "So, uhh, why did you shoot me?"

They exchanged glances. "Someone's after us," Zoe explained grimly.

Naruto frowned. "What?"

Bianca sighed. "No, they're only after Phoebe and me. Zoe, I don't think they care about you."

"Yeah, you should just go back to the cabin. There's no point in endangering yourself," Phoebe added.

Zoe shook her head. "No. I will not flee when my fellow Hunters are in danger."

"Hold up," Naruto cut in. "What do you mean by 'someone's after you?'"

"First, it was the centaur blood-laced shirt Travis and Connor tried to give to Phoebe," Zoe explained. "We had thought that was just an isolated incident. But then, after the councilor meeting, Bianca wanted to get something to eat. A nymph delivered her a plate of snacks, and it was only through luck that our resident poisons expert, Katarina, took a bite first and realized that they were poisoned. Fortunately, Katarina had already built up an immunity to most poisons, and so she is fine."

"After that, more and more strange events began happening," Bianca continued. "My jacket tried to strangle me."

"My bow randomly exploded, sending shrapnel flying everywhere," Phoebe narrowed her eyes.

"When that happened, we left the rest of the Hunters so they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire," Zoe did another perimeter scan. "We came to the forest, where our powers as a Hunter are amplified."

"Couldn't it just be a series of unfortunate coincidences?" Naruto was already shaking his head before he finished the sentence. "No, never mind. It's never a coincidence."

"Indeed," Zoe inclined her head. "There's someone influencing things from the shadows - an unknown being that is trying to prevent one of us from going onto the quest. They haven't even touched me yet, probably because I'm the leader of the quest, but they're definitely after Bianca and Phoebe."

Phoebe scowled and muttered a nasty Ancient Greek curse that Naruto will not translate. "This is annoying. Who the hell is doing this?"

"Kronos," Naruto said grimly. The temperature seemed to drop by ten degrees around them.

"The Titan Lord?" Zoe shrugged. "Probably. He would certainly benefit from having only four people go on the quest." She frowned. "That doesn't explain why he's only targeting the Hunters, though. Has anything bad occured to you yet, Naruto?"

Naruto shook his head. "Nope."

"Odd. . ." Zoe frowned.

Why would Kronos only target the Hunters? Why not Thalia or Naruto? Did Kronos just not like the Hunters of Artemis or something? Or maybe it was because -

Naruto tensed up as he suddenly sensed something. "Hey, uhh. . . there may or may not be hundreds of giant ants swarming towards us."

Zoe blinked. "What?"

"Yeah, umm. . . they're coming for us. And they're really, really fast. As in - " Naruto paled. "High ground."

"What?" Zoe repeated.

"HIGH GROUND! NOW!" Naruto yelled as he jumped up and landed on a tree branch. A moment later, Zoe, Bianca, and Phoebe were on their own branches, still looking confused.

"What do you mean by 'giant ants' - " Bianca froze as the first wave of giant ants came into view. "Oh," she said in a quiet voice.

Zoe and Phoebe didn't waste any time talking, instead immediately shooting the ants with arrows. However, the arrows simply bounced off of the ants' black exoskeleton.

"Oh come on!" Phoebe cried. "Myrmekes?! Why are they here?!"

"What _are_ those?" Bianca asked with equal parts revulsion and disgust.

"Myrmekes," Zoe took careful aim and shot an arrow straight into a chink in an ant's armor. It disintegrated into dust - enraging the other ants and causing them to become even faster. ". . . that's not good. Myrmekes are giant ants. They have an almost-unbreakable armor that Celestial Bronze cannot pierce, their mandibles can easily crush a demigod, and they spray poison."

Naruto did a double-take at that. "They _spray poison_?!" he asked, horrified.

Zoe nodded. "Yes. I believe our best course of action to take is to retrea - "

"Hell no!" Naruto withdrew a single silver kunai. "These are _giant ants_ that can _spray poison_ and _crush a demigod_. And it's not just one ant - it's a whole _swarm of them_! You want to just run away from them and leave them be? No, they're all going to _die_!" At this moment, Naruto suddenly regretted not knowing any Fire Jutsus. These ants deserved a Gokakyu or two.

_Kunai Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._

A single kunai became several hundred. Flawless execution. This was a jutsu he had perfected recently, although the name was rather misleading. Even though it had "shuriken" in the name, it could be applied to any projectile, including kunai and senbon.

Hundreds of kunai slammed into the Myrmekes with the force of a high-caliber sniper bullet. While the silver wasn't strong enough to penetrate the Myrmekes' hard exoskeleton, enough kunais made their way through the chinks in their armor, killing quite a lot of them. The rest backed up, wary.

Naruto smiled in satisfaction. Now, where did he put his explosive tags - he was suddenly aware of several stares on him. He looked over. Bianca, Zoe, and Phoebe were staring at him, their eyes wide in shock.

"Oh. Yeah, that's my chakra," Naruto grinned. "Pretty cool, right?"

"That was. . ." Zoe hesitated.

"Beautiful," Phoebe finished. "A silver rain of death and destruction. You may be a male, but you're not completely useless."

"Wow. . . thanks."

"You're welcome," Phoebe responded sincerely. Then she sighed. "In any event, this has gone on long enough. Zoe, I'm sorry." She took a deep breath

Zoe's eyes widened. "Phoebe, what are you going to - "

"HEY!" Phoebe shouted to the night sky. "YOU DON'T WANT ME TO GO ON THIS QUEST? FINE! I WON'T GO! SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST CHILL AND STOP ALL THESE BULLSHIT ATTACKS?"

Oddly enough, the sky didn't respond.

"Phoebe - " Zoe began but Phoebe cut her off.

"No. Whoever is trying to prevent us from going. . . they're not stopping. I have a feeling that the attacks are only going to get worse from here, and I don't want Bianca or you hurt. This time, it was a Myrmekes attack. What next? Are they going to send a hydra after us?" Phoebe paused. "THAT WASN'T A SUGGESTION, BY THE WAY."

Once again, the sky did not respond.

"The choice is clear," Phoebe said. "I won't go on this quest."

"Wait," Bianca spoke up. "If anyone should stay behind, it should be me. I'm new - I won't do very well on the quest."

Phoebe shook her head, smiling. "Don't worry about it. I believe in your skills. This is a good way for you to prove yourself and to grow as a Hunter."

Zoe nodded. "Indeed. Phoebe, if you insist - "

"I do."

"Very well, then. . ." Zoe sighed regretfully. "We won't take you along for the quest."

As if on cue, the Myrmekes, who had been warily circling them, immediately began heading back. Naruto itched to kill them (because GIANT ANTS) but decided against it. It might harm the ecosystem of the forest if he wiped out an entire species.

"Well, that takes care of that," Phoebe clapped her hands together. "I think we're safe now."

Zoe nodded. "It appears so."

"I'll head back to the cabin, get some sleep," Phoebe yawned. "Good luck, Zoe, Bianca. Bring Lady Artemis back."

And she was gone, sprinting through the forests and disappearing into the night.

Naruto stared at Zoe and Bianca. "Okay then. That just happened. Umm. . . see you at dawn?"

Zoe nodded. "Yes."

Bianca waved goodbye.

XxX

There were external forces at play. _Unknown_ external forces.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He disliked people who controlled events from the shadows. Like Obito. And Madara. And Black Zetsu. And Danzo.

After about an hour of aimlessly walking around and enjoying being in the forest, Naruto made his way back to Thalia's pine tree, the designated meeting place.

"Yo," Naruto smiled at the dragon, Peleus. "No hard feelings, right?"

Peleus simply observed him, still curled around the base of the tree.

"Okay then. I'll take that as a yes. Mind if I sit down?"

Peleus didn't reply but he did shift around to make room for Naruto. He sat down, back against the tree, the Golden Fleece overhead.

"I'm kinda worried, you know?" Naruto gazed down at his hand. "A being powerful enough to capture Artemis. . . can I even fight against them? How strong would they have to be?"

The primary problem here was that Naruto lacked information. He didn't know how strong a god of this world would be; Apollo has never fought him for real before. He can assume that the gods are about as strong as Kaguya - but at the same time, the demigods at Camp Half-Blood were nowhere near Hagoromo's level. Or even Asura - hell, they weren't even as powerful as a normal human shinobi, like Kakashi.

But how much would human blood dilute divine power? Gods were definitely not twice as strong as demigods, so using demigods as a basis of power wouldn't work.

He knew that mortals would disintegrate if they even _looked_ upon a god's divine form. Even though Naruto wasn't a mortal, he still had never risked looking at Apollo's divine form before. There was no guarantee he would survive.

In the old myths, the biggest display of power Naruto could think of was when Zeus trapped Typhon under Mount Etna, similar to Chibaku Tensei. However, Apollo had once referred to Zeus's master bolt as a "weapon that made hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers." Was that an exaggeration, or was it legitimate?

And was Artemis close to Zeus's level in terms of power? Zeus was the king of the gods, after all, not to mention being Artemis's father.

Naruto sighed heavily. Oh well. It's not as if this wasn't the first time he'd be going into a battle with little to no information whatsoever. It's always worked out before - and this time, it will work again.

Because Naruto won't fail. It doesn't matter if he has to fight Kronos and his army of Titans all by himself - he will bring Artemis back.

"Y'know, Peleus. . . I'm kinda tired. Do you mind if I take a quick nap?"

Peleus didn't reply.

And Naruto closed his eyes.

XxX

 _Is. . . is this a demigod dream?!_ Naruto gazed around in wonder. He was still asleep - he didn't recall waking up. He was in a dark cave; the only source of light came from the dim glow of a Celestial Bronze ornament on the wall.

"Who in the name of Night is he?!"

Naruto turned his head to see who had spoken. He couldn't see anything - it was too dark. The voice was raspy and. . . old. Naruto couldn't tell if it came from a man or a woman.

"I don't know!" Another voice snapped, frustration evident. "I can't find his string!"

"What do you mean you can't find his string?!" A third voice spoke up, incredulity and disbelief in its voice. "It's literally _impossible_ for us to lose the thread!"

"Well, _you_ find it then!" The second voice snapped back. "Did any of you misplace it?"

"No!" The first voice responded. "Before today, I didn't even know that he _existed_!"

"I don't understand how this is even _possible_!" Even though Naruto couldn't see anything, he could imagine the second voice's person pulling out their hair. If they even had hair.

"Well you know what, it _is_ possible, and it's happening right before our eyes!" The third voice replied. "What should we do?"

"What _can_ we do?" The first voice said.

"Call mother?" the second voice suggested.

Naruto could almost _feel_ the eye-rolling of the other two. "You think she cares?"

The second voice paused. "Good point."

"At this point," the third voice said resolutely, "We can only watch for now. Let's see if the situation gets any worse."

"Agreed."

"Very well."

And the scene before Naruto dissolved, leaving Naruto with two very pressing questions.

Who the hell were they?

And. . . had they been talking about _him?_

Naruto had expected to gain answers and essential information from a demigod dream, like the dreams the Great Toad Sage had. Instead, he received a cryptic vision that left him with more questions than when he had begun.

Demigod dreams _sucks_.


	6. Labyrinth

Team 7. That was Naruto's first reaction when he watched Thalia and Zoe interact. More specifically, they were acting like _him_ and Sasuke. Almost immediately after they'd gotten into the van, Zoe and Thalia had begun arguing. And, looking at the state of things, it's unlikely that they're going to stop.

"Look, I don't know what thy problem is!" Zoe growled. "In a battle between Clarisse La Rue and Phoebe, Phoebe would clearly win!"

Thalia scoffed. "Yeah, right. Phoebe may have more years of experience, but that's the thing: she only has _Hunter_ experience. In an actual fight against a human, she'll be defeated easily."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "You don't think we Hunters spar against each other?"

"Not to the extent that the Ares cabin does," Thalia retorted. "Phoebe may be a daughter of Ares, but her training isn't even remotely close to what the Ares cabin does. Ares's children may have many flaws and defects, but one thing I'll give them is that they're good in fights. And a child of Ares that hasn't trained like the rest wouldn't even come close to defeating them in battle."

Zoe sighed tiredly. "You lack the ability to fully analyze the situation. Phoebe outranges Clarisse with her bow, and she's faster and more agile."

"But she doesn't have strength," Thalia countered. "Sure, Phoebe may land five blows on Clarisse before Clarisse even lands one, but the one hit that Clarisse lands will be utterly devastating, whereas I doubt Phoebe's punches would do much damage."

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Oh? Would you like to put that to a test?"

"By all means," Thalia challenged. "When we get back, you, me, Phoebe, sparring arena. I'll even have the Apollo cabin on standby, but I doubt we'll be needing them."

"Deal."

Naruto couldn't help but smile. Yup, they certainly reminded him of when he and Sasuke were fresh genin.

He idly wondered if it was a good idea for him to join the quest. Perhaps he should've just run off and looked for Artemis by himself. He quickly dismissed the notion, however. Even back in his old world, he knew better than to run off and look for Sasuke by himself, and the continent he was on was a _lot_ bigger than the Elemental Nations.

Besides, there was one vital reason why he ultimately decided to join the quest group.

Prophecy.

From what he could tell, prophecies of this world were different than the ones in his old world. The prophecy the Great Honorable Toad Geezer had given was vague and broad. Prophecies in this world, however, are relatively clear and specific.

Joining the quest group meant having a prophecy made about him. The prophecy is essentially a guide, a step-by-step foretelling of what would happen. For a shinobi, having future knowledge about events was invaluable. Naruto may not be the best shinobi, but even he understood that. By himself, he would be going in blind. Going with a quest group meant having a prophecy that would give him a rough idea of what to expect.

Besides, the prophecy literally _guaranteed_ that the quest members would find Artemis. It didn't specify whether or not they would _save_ Artemis, but the fact that the quest members were essentially _fated_ to reach Artemis was too good to pass up.

But. . . Naruto glanced around in slight annoyance. Zoe and Thalia were still arguing. Bianca was absentmindedly staring at her reflection in a knife - though Naruto doubted she was doing it for vanity's sake. And they were moving slowly. Really, damn, slow.

"Can't this van go any faster?" Naruto spoke up impatiently. He knew _Genin_ who could run faster than this.

Zoe looked back. "Naruto - "

"Keep your eyes on the road," Thalia hissed.

Zoe turned to her, annoyed. "My situational awareness is far superior to thine own. I can drive this van blindfolded if need be."

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "If we crash, you're the one who gets to explain it to Chiron."

Zoe hesitated before looking back to the road once more. "On second thought, perhaps we should exercise a little caution.

Thalia smirked. "That's what I thought. In any case, Naruto, unless your chakra can control traffic, then no, we're stuck at this pace."

Zoe nodded. "Indeed. We would go a lot faster if we were running, but. . ." she glanced at Thalia derisively out of the corner of her eye.

"You think you can run faster than a van?" Thalia asked incredulously.

"Definitely," Zoe answered. "You can't, however, which is why we're currently in this van, stuck in _traffic_." She said _traffic_ as it was a foul expletive. "The blessings of Artemis grants us a speed far superior to a normal mortal's."

Thalia raised her left eyebrow. "Well, forgive me for not wanting to be a mindless slave to a goddess."

"We are not slaves," Zoe snarled, sounding truly upset for the first time since they've started arguing. "You know _nothing_."

"Oh?" Thalia raised her eyebrows. "So you're allowed to disobey her?"

"We don't disobey her because we are loyal to her."

Thalia scoffed. " _Right_."

"But even so," Zoe narrowed her eyes and turned to look at Thalia again. "Lady Artemis would never command us to do something that's harmful or detrimental for us. We trust her, and she trusts us."

"She trusts you? Then tell me: what was the monster that she was hunting?"

Zoe didn't answer. Thalia smirked. "Yeah, I can definitely see the _trust_. You've known Artemis for what, centuries now? And she still didn't tell you that."

Centuries? Say what now? Naruto knew that the Hunters were immortal, but he never thought they would be _that_ old. He gulped when he realized that Zoe may actually be older than the Sage of Six Paths himself.

"Lady Artemis didn't tell us what the monster was because she wished to protect us," Zoe finally responded, though her tone was less harsh. "As you know, knowledge can increase a demigod's aura, and she likely didn't want us to attract the monster's attention. She was protecting us."

"Ah, I see," Thalia chuckled scornfully. "So you're not willing to risk your life for your precious mistress? If the monster becomes aware of your existence - so what?"

Zoe glared. "The monster she was hunting is capable of bringing Olympus down itself."

"And?" Thalia asked challengingly. "I've had the worst monsters Hades could summon hunt me for months. _Kronos_ himself is after me. You don't see me backing down. But you Hunters have been by Artemis's side for _centuries_ , and you're still unwilling to face the monster for her."

"You were there that night," Zoe retorted. "We didn't have a choice. Artemis refused to reveal anything - "

Thalia laughed. "So we have a mistress that doesn't trust her Hunters' ability to protect themselves, and we have Hunters who are too cowardly to demand answers and fight to stand by their goddess's side." She turned to look back at Bianca. "Do you see what you've gotten yourself into?"

Bianca met her eyes challengingly. "Yeah, I do. So Lady Artemis cares for us. Too much, perhaps, but the fact is that she cares. Similarly, we Hunters trust her judgement enough to not demand answers."

"The fact that you believe that is truly - "

"Enough!" Zoe slammed onto the brakes, the van skidding to a stop. "The Hunters may not be perfect, but at least we're a family that won't betray each other!"

Thalia flinched back as if struck. "Leave Luke out of - "

Zoe whirled on her, eyes fierce and angry. "I will not. I had hoped to address this later, but let's do it right here, right now. On this quest, there is a high chance that we will run into that boy. And if so, I need thy word that you will not hesitate to slay him."

"Of course I won't hesitate! Luke's a traitor. He's _dead_ to me," And yet, despite Thalia's angry words, her eyes told a different story - her electric blue orbs seemed fragile, like glass that could shatter at any moment.

Zoe noticed. "Are you sure about that? Can you truly strike him down immediately? I will not fail on this quest simply because thy emotions for that _boy_ is still clouding thy judgement - "

"His name is Luke," Thalia said harshly.

Naruto sat up, interested. "The guy who stole the master bolt?"

Still glaring at Zoe, Thalia answered, "Yeah, he is."

"And wasn't he the mastermind behind the poisoning of your tree?"

Thalia nodded. "Yeah."

Naruto suddenly felt very amused. "Let me guess. He wants revenge?"

"Yup," Thalia confirmed.

"Does he have a massive stick up his ass?"

Thalia paused. " _What?_ "

"Never mind, never mind," Naruto waved her off. "So why did he leave?"

"Why do you care?"

"So I could understand. So _we_ could understand," Naruto leaned forward. "And also because we need information. If he is a potential enemy, then we can't fight him without knowing anything about him." But mostly it's so that Naruto could understand.

Zoe inclined her head. "Naruto has a good point. Why did the bo - Luke leave?"

Thalia hesitated. "Because he hates the gods," she finally said in a quiet voice.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "No, really? I thought that he _loved_ them."

Thalia glared at her. "I'm serious. He possesses a seething hatred for the gods. He feels that they have done nothing for him; that all they do is cause pain and suffering. His father, Hermes, leaving him with his. . . sick mother, Zeus abandoning me, Apollo placing a curse on Halycon - "

Naruto's eyes flickered. Apollo did _what_ now?

" - and, even though I was still a tree during this, I hear that after Luke's quest to retrieve a Golden Apple from the Gardens of the Hesperites, he felt that Hermes didn't _care_ enough about him to give him an original, good quest. He doesn't merely dislike the gods: he completely utterly _hates_ them. I wouldn't be surprised if he wishes to tear down Olympus brick by brick."

"I'm. . . I'm sorry, Thalia," Bianca reached out and touched Thalia's shoulder comfortingly. "Was Luke your friend?"

Thalia nodded, looking away. "Yeah," she whispered. Then her eyes narrowed. "No. He _was_ my friend. But now, he's nothing but a traitor to me. You want your guarantee, Zoe? Fine. If I see Luke, then I'll kill him - "

"Are you just going to give up on him like that?" Naruto felt a sudden surge of anger. Was she seriously going to give up on Luke just like that? No. There are few things that can enrage Naruto, and this is one of them. You don't just give up on your precious people like that. Naruto didn't give up on Sasuke. But Thalia was just going to give up on Luke? It may seem illogical; in fact, Naruto was well aware that he was acting on his emotions. But if he didn't speak up now, then it would be like spitting on his dream to bring Sasuke back. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

"What? No, he's not - "

"That's a lie," Naruto said resolutely. "The bond that exists between friends who would die for each other is too strong to be broken that easily. You still wish to bring him back, don't you?"

"Naruto, what are you saying?" Zoe asked confusedly.

Naruto ignored her, intently staring at Thalia. "Never give up, Thalia. As long as he's still alive, then his mind can be changed, and he can be redeemed. But if he's dead, then it's over." Nagato changed. Obito changed. And Naruto hoped that with his death, Sasuke changed as well.

Thalia bit her lip, but there was a sudden glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Do you really think he'll come back?"

"He may not willingly come back," Naruto admitted. "In fact, he'll probably fight you every step of the way."

Thalia looked away, deflated.

" _But_ ," Naruto continued. "That shouldn't matter to you. If you have to beat him up and drag him back in chains, then _drag him._ If you have to fight a thousand battles, then _fight them_. If you have to take all his hatred for the gods and shoulder it yourself - then _do it_." He smiled brightly. "Because that's what friends do."

Thalia's eyes widened before a determined glint appeared in them - but there was still a hint of uncertainty. "Do you really think Luke can be saved from his hatred?"

Naruto thought of Obito and Nagato and Sasuke and so many others. His smile widened. "Yeah. I do."

Thalia was silent for a moment. "You're right." Her eyes flashed angrily. "Luke betrayed us all. I'll defeat him in battle, chain him up, and use the full extent of my imagination to create new and creative ways to inflict massive amounts of pain on him."

Naruto paused. "Hold up, what?"

"Death is too good for him," Thalia declared. "I won't kill him. Instead, I'll capture him and make him regret leaving me." Her fingers twitched and arcs of electricity leaped from them. "I'll have to ask Chiron for a private room in the Big House. Preferably soundproofed."

"Wait, that's not what I meant - "

"I should invite Annabeth too," Thalia grinned viciously. "She also has quite a lot of things to. . . say to Luke." She looked down at her lap. "And hopefully, between the two of us, we'll be able to convince Luke to repent," she whispered quietly. "And then we could be a family again."

Even Zoe didn't say anything for a moment. Just a moment though. "You are foolish. Both of you. That boy has already betrayed us once before, and he'll do it again without a second thought. While capturing him would be desirable, there is always the chance that he will escape again. Permanent measures should be taken - "

"And by permanent measure, you mean you want us to kill him, correct?"

Zoe sighed. "Please, do not give me any moral arguments. I have heard them all before. Modern demigods are quite irksome - in the old days, people killed each other all the time."

Naruto tilted his head. "And did you _enjoy_ the old days? The days where human life was casually disregarded?"

Zoe paused. "I'm not saying that I enjoyed the past. It was not a good time, but at least the heroes of the time did what they had to do. Recently, however, some heroes have refused to kill altogether."

"Then tell me: what would happen if we killed Luke?" Naruto asked.

"Justice, for one," Zoe answered. "He betrayed us all and joined the Titans. By taking revenge and cutting him down, he will be brought to the Fields of Punishment, where justice will be swiftly delivered."

Naruto was quiet for a moment. Even though he was in a different world, it appeared that human nature was the same. "We are ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice," he muttered - an echo of Nagato's words.

"Yes," Zoe agreed. "We are."

"But if there is justice in revenge, then that same justice will only breed more revenge," Naruto clenched his fists tightly, "And it will trigger a vicious cycle of hatred!"

Zoe's eyes widened momentarily before she sighed. "I see truth in thy words. A cold, harsh, uncaring truth it may be, but that is the state of the world we live in."

"And you accept it?" Naruto pressed on. "You accept that we live in a cursed world; no, not only do you accept, but you _embrace it_ as well? Even knowing that in death there is only more death, you would still ask Thalia and by extension, me and Bianca, to kill Luke?"

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Break the curse!"

Zoe raised her eyebrows. "It's not that simple."

"Yeah? Well, I don't get what's so difficult about it," Naruto looked down at his hands. "Have you tried talking to them? Understanding them?"

"Hey, umm. . ." Bianca spoke up but was interrupted by Zoe.

"Understand? What is there to understand?" Zoe asked scornfully. "He betrayed us for the Titans."

Naruto nodded. "And he's worse than trash for doing that. But, before today, did you know _why_ he betrayed us?"

Zoe hesitated. "No, but that does not matter - "

"It is the thing that matters the _most_!"

"Zoe?" Bianca tried again, but Zoe ignored her.

"Matters the most? How does that matter? He hates the gods because he feels that they have abandoned him. So what? How does that fact matter?"

"Because now that I know that, I can _understand_ him - "

"Zoe!" Bianca shouted.

"What?" Zoe snapped, turning to look at Bianca. Naruto and Thalia looked at Bianca as well.

With everyone's attention focused on her, Bianca flushed slightly, but forged on. "We're not moving. During this entire. . . conversation, we haven't driven forward an inch."

Zoe sighed. "Sad as it may be, I cannot control the traffic."

" _What_ traffic?" Bianca asked, fear in her voice.

What did she mean by that - Naruto glanced out the window. It was still raining outside, but there were no cars around. Not a single one.

"What the hell?" Thalia muttered.

"Everybody out!" Zoe commanded.

They all got out of the car, staring at their surroundings, ignoring the rain that fell onto them. They were still in the city, and there were buildings all around them. But there were no cars. No people. An eerie, dense fog obscured their vision, causing them to only be able to see about fifty feet in front of them.

"How didn't we notice?" Zoe flicked her hand and a silver bow materialized in it.

"I don't know!" Naruto held a silver kunai in a reverse grip, eyes darting around, scanning his surroundings.

"In our defense, we were a little. . . _absorbed_ by our conversation," Thalia's spear extended from her mace canister.

"But what's happening?" Naruto glanced over at Bianca. She had also had a silver bow in her hand, but Naruto could see her hand trembling.

"I'm glad you asked that," a new voice called out from above. Deep, with an odd accent.

Zoe, Bianca, and Thalia tensed up as a man calmly strolled forward out of the fog, seemingly out of nowhere. He was impeccably dressed - a brown suit with a blue tie.

"Thorn," Thalia growled.

A wicked smile appeared on the man's face, and Naruto could see that his eyes were different colors - one blue, one brown.

Naruto didn't have good experiences with people who had mismatched eyes.

"How's it going, Thalia?" Thorn asked conversationally, absently brushing some lint from his suit jacket.

"What have you done with Annabeth?" Thalia demanded. She slapped the bracelet on her wrist and shouted, "Aegis!" The bracelet expanded into a bronze shield. Naruto glanced at the surface - and recoiled. The most deformed, ugliest, _nastiest_ face Naruto had ever had the displeasure of seeing was on the shield.

"Annabeth? Oh, you mean that little girl?" Thorn smirked. "She's alive. For now."

Thalia moved to charge him but Zoe flung out her hand. "He's baiting you! Careful. Thorn, what have you done?"

Thorn tilted his head ominously. "What have I done? You mean all of this?" He gestured at the scene around them. "I can't take credit for the weather or the fog - those were already here. The mortals, on the other hand. . . well, a little compulsion magic here, a little bit of Mist there, and voila. A zone completely devoid of outside interference."

Naruto blinked. "Wait. Were you waiting out here the _entire time_ while we were talking?"

Thorn snapped his fingers. "Ah, that's right. What's up with that? What took you guys so long to come out?"

Zoe, Naruto, and Thalia all determinedly avoided Thorn's stare.

Thorn shrugged. "Whatever. I did, however, make an epic entrance, wouldn't you say?"

"Ehh, I'll give it a six out of ten at best," Naruto said.

Thorn narrowed his eyes. "A _six_ out of ten? Really? _Really_?"

Naruto paused. "Did you arrive on top of several gigantic toads?"

"No, but - "

"Did you arrive unleashing a secret devastating technique that almost single-handedly destroyed us on the molecular level?"

"What are you talking about - "

"Did you arrive with four undead leaders of the village with you?"

"Why are you being so specific?" Thorn stomped his foot. "Enough! I don't have the time to talk with you. I _hate_ getting wet."

Naruto stared at him. "Wow. Just. . . wow. I hAtE gEtTiNg wEt. What are you, a cat?"

"A manticore!" Thorn snarled.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. See, normally I would love to stop and talk, get the pre-fight banter out of the way, but it just so happens that I'm in a rush today. Someone precious to me is in danger, you see." His eyes flashed dangerously. "So I'll only give you one warning. Get out of our way."

"Hmm, let me think," Thorn rubbed his chin. "No."

"That's what I thought," Naruto said from behind him. A flawless Substitution with a rock on the ground. Thorn whirled around, surprised, but before he could get a word out, Naruto slammed a Rasengan into his back. Thorn cried out in pain and Naruto caught a blur coming towards him. He jumped back, just in time to avoid dozens of tiny spikes.

"You're pretty durable," Naruto observed. "I expected the Rasengan to oneshot you." He sighed. "I guess when it comes to slaying monsters, nothing comes close to Celestial Bronze."

"Who are you?" Thorn snarled, edging away from Naruto, hissing in pain. "A son of a wind god, perhaps?"

"Not quite," Naruto answered before he dashed forward again, another Rasengan forming in his hand, though this one was denser than before - and then stopped and leaped back as he sensed something large approaching. From above, a massive lion crashed down in front of Thorn, unleashing a mighty roar of rage and fury. It had shiny, silvery claws that looked as if it would have no trouble ripping apart steel and inside its gaping maw, its fangs gleamed menacingly.

Thorn smirked. "Behold, the Nemean Lion. Have fun killing this one."

The Nemean Lion let out an explosive roar. _I'll kill you all! I'll rip you to pieces and devour your flesh! I'll grind your bones to make my bread!_

Naruto blinked. No way. He can understand animals?! Huh. Artemis was the goddess of the wilderness, and apparently, that extended to understanding animals as well.

"Hey, I have an idea. How about you _don't_ kill us?" Naruto suggested.

The Nemean Lion roared once more. _Kill you all! I'll kill you all! Die!_ The Nemean Lion's muscles tensed up as it prepared to pounce.

Naruto simply raised his eyebrows and unleashed his Killing Intent.

The Nemean Lion froze before all the tension left its body. _Ah, I changed my mind. I'm not going to kill you after all._ Its tone was calm and polite, and a slight tinge of Oxford crept into its accent.

"Really?"

_Mmm-hmm._

"What, umm, what made you change your mind?"

 _Well, you know, this and that._ The Nemean Lion nodded sagely.

Naruto grinned as he distinctly recalled the legend of the Nemean Lion. Instead of fighting Heracles, the Nemean Lion had cowardly hid inside a cave. Clearly, its personality hadn't changed all that much in the past couple thousand years. "I'm glad you saw the error of your ways. Now leave."

 _I was never even here_. The Nemean Lion turned and ran with absolutely no shame whatsoever. _Sorry Thorn, but this is waayyy above my pay grade_.

"What do you mean?" Thorn yelled after its retreating form. "Get back here!" The Nemean Lion completely ignored him and soon it1 disappeared into the mist.

Thorn turned back to them with considerably less confidence. "Now see here - " he was cut off by Zoe and Bianca raising their bows. Thalia brandished her spear and a new Rasengan formed in Naruto's hand. "Never mind. I'm out." And he turned and melted into the shadows, several silver arrows and a kunai striking the spot where he had stood.

Zoe growled. "Coward!"

"Naruto," Bianca began hesitantly, "What. . . what was that?"

Naruto frowned. "What? Oh, I can talk to animals. I never knew that."

Bianca shook her head. "No, I mean. . ." She waved her hand vaguely.

Naruto understood. "My Killing Intent?" He paused. "Oh. You've never been exposed to Killing Intent before," he guessed.

Bianca nodded slowly. It was only then that Naruto noticed a slight tremor in her hand - fear.

"Killing Intent is simply when a person exudes pure killing intention," Naruto explained. "I'm sorry if it affected you."

"I-It's fine," Bianca said. "It was just. . . really scary."

"It was strong," Zoe admitted. "Easily comparable to Lord Ares's." She scrutinized Naruto silently. "Good job, Naruto. Fighting the Nemean Lion would've been troublesome. Although I must ask: how were you able to communicate with it?"

Naruto shrugged. "No idea."

"Guys. . ." Thalia spoke up. She was frowning deeply.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Didn't Thorn say that he created a barrier using Mist and magic that kept out the mortals?"

"He did," Zoe nodded. "Has thy hearing really deteriorated that much?"

Thalia ignored her. "But now he's gone."

"Really? I didn't notice. You truly are a genius."

Thalia turned to Zoe. "Which means the barrier is gone too."

Zoe nodded slowly. "Yes. Do you have a point?"

Thalia paled dramatically. "But _we're currently standing on the road._ "

Zoe's eyes widened. "Oh - "

And a car entered their line of sight, heading straight toward them.

"Back to the van!" Zoe commanded as the car swerved wildly to avoid hitting them. They got in and Zoe started up the van immediately, stepping on the accelerator. For a few blissful minutes, Zoe kept her foot planted on the accelerator, but they soon caught up to the traffic once more. Zoe groaned. "Not again," she muttered. "We should've just ridden motorcycles."

"Those things will kill you," Bianca frowned.

Zoe simply looked back with an amused look. "You're a demigod, Bianca."

Bianca flushed. "Oh right. I almost forgot."

"So where were we again?" Thalia tapped her fingers against her armrest.

"No, please," Naruto held up his hand. "Look, we're questmates now. We have to work together. So how about we at least _try_ to get along and stop arguing."

Thalia paused. "You're right," she decided. "Zoe, I may not like you, but. . . truce?"

Zoe looked at her before nodding and grudgingly saying, "Very well. Saving Lady Artemis is our first priority - "

"Annabeth too," Thalia muttered.

" - and constantly arguing with you will not aid the process in the least. Truce for now."

Naruto sighed in relief. Finally, some peace and quiet. Was this how Sakura and Kakashi-sensei felt whenever he argued with Sasuke? If so, he felt kinda bad now.

"Thorn was more durable than I had expected," Naruto mused. "He withstood a shot from my Rasengan."

"Thorn is a manticore," Zoe explained. "Their durability is high; they're capable of withstanding several strikes from Celestial Bronze."

"Annabeth stabbed Thorn with her knife," Thalia recalled. "He's a strong monster. Next time, you shouldn't rush him like that. It was really risky."

"Waiting around isn't my style," Naruto frowned. "Besides, Thorn isn't even a god. I don't see any risk in attacking him head-on."

Thalia stared at Naruto. "He's a _manticore_ ," she stressed. "He was able to take both me and Percy on in combat, and we're both children of the Big Three."

Zoe snorted. "That says more about your skill than Thorn's, you know."

"Oh shut it. Naruto, I don't know how it was when you lived with Apollo, but out here in the real world, these monsters are dangerous and they can and will kill you," Thalia looked away. "You may have chakra, but that doesn't mean you're invincible. You still need to be careful."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "You're right," he finally said. "I'll exercise more caution next time." Now _that_ was a lie. While monsters may be dangerous and even lethal to the average demigod, Naruto was _not_ an average demigod. He was a shinobi who had faced threats far larger than any monsters this world had to offer. Thorn may be powerful, but compared to Naruto, he was _nothing_.

"Good. Thank you, Naruto," Thalia smiled. Then she tensed. "Do you hear that?"

Naruto tilted his head and listened. "Is there a problem?"

"Helicopter," Thalia said.

Naruto blinked. "Yes. And?"

"The mortal mercenaries had a helicopter," Zoe said grimly as she pulled the steering wheel hard and they veered across three lanes into a parking lot. A cacophony of beeps sounded behind them and there was the sound of metal hitting metal. Naruto looked behind them.

"Hey, uhh, you just caused two minor traffic accidents."

"Not the time!" The van skidded to a stop and they all got out, looking up at the sky.

"Perhaps it's just a normal helicopter?" Bianca said hopefully.

Zoe simply gazed up at it for a moment before shaking her head. "It's the same model as the one we encountered at Westover Hall, and I don't believe in coincidences." She squinted. "Wait. What is that?"

It was hard to see through the rain and the clouds, but Naruto could swear there was a black blur darting around the helicopter.

Thalia suddenly clenched her fists. "No. He wouldn't. There's no way."

Naruto looked over, confused. "What's happening?"

"Watch," Thalia growled.

Naruto frowned but looked up again, shielding his eyes from the rain with his hand. Was the black blur. . . kicking the helicopter? Naruto's eyes widened as he finally got his first clear look. A pegasus. A black pegasus.

The pegasus kicked in the helicopter's windshield, shattering it. The helicopter immediately began to spiral out of control, and it began a sharp descent down. Fortunately, there was a small grass field nearby, and the pilot was able to land the helicopter. Not well though; Naruto winced as the sound of metal scraping against metal reached his ears. The helicopter seemed to crumple inward and it tumbled over several times before finally coming to a stop.

"I am never going to get into a helicopter or a plane ever again," Bianca whispered.

"I'm with you," Thalia agreed.

The pegasus descended from the sky until it was in front of them. Percy Jackson jumped down and grinned at them. "Hey," he greeted. "I heard there was a vacancy."

"Percy!" Naruto grinned. "You're here!"

The rest weren't as enthusiastic.

"Percy Jackson," Zoe said disdainfully. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I thought over what you and Chiron said. And I realized something: I don't care," Percy's sea-green eyes turned serious. "You see, Annabeth is my friend, and I'm going to save her."

"You broke camp rules," Thalia narrowed her eyes. "You realize that Dionysus is going to tear you apart, right?"

Percy grinned. "Nah. I already ran into him."

The pegasus whined. _You're making it sound like a casual meeting, Boss. He wrapped vines around us and threatened to drive you insane and turn you into a dolphin._

Naruto's eyes widened as he understood every word the pegasus said. Magic was awesome.

Percy sighed. "True enough, Blackjack. At any rate, after our. . . talk, Mr. D agreed to let me join the quest. So here I am."

Zoe's fists clenched. "Fine. Let's go. We don't have any time to waste."

Percy blinked. "Wait, so you're just going to let me join, just like that?"

"You are part of his quest now," Zoe said grudgingly. "I do not like it, but there is no changing fate."

Naruto coughed. _About that_. . .

"Besides, I do not wish to waste my breath arguing with a boy. It is not worth it."

_Well, now that you're with them, I guess I'll leave, Boss._

Percy nodded. "Graze, or something. I owe you a sugar cube."

The pegasus snorted. _Just one? You owe me a large handful at least. Plus apples. I like apples._

"Whatever you want, Blackjack," Percy promised. And with that, the pegasus flew off into the sky - and promptly disappeared. Naruto's eyes widened. How fast was that pegasus?!

"Hey, umm. . . should we call an ambulance?" Bianca asked hesitantly. "I don't think the men in the helicopter - "

Percy snapped his fingers. "I knew I was forgetting something," he muttered. "I might have been seeing things, but I'm pretty sure that there were skeletons piloting the helicopter."

Zoe tensed up. "And you didn't think to tell us that _sooner_?! We need to leave. _Now_."

And that was when the van behind them exploded. Percy flung out his hands and let out a roar as the rain suddenly coalesced and formed a solid wall of water, blocking the shrapnel. Zoe scanned the surroundings, her bow already out. "There!" There was a group of men off in the distance - only their skin was dull gray, their flesh was transparent, and their bones shimmered underneath, like X-ray images. _Skeletons_. One skeleton warrior reloaded an _honest-to-Sage RPG_ and aimed it at them.

"Scatter!" Thalia yelled as she already began running. A moment later, the skeleton warrior fired and the grenade streaked towards them, exploding and sending shrapnel everywhere once more.

"The van blew up!" Percy shouted. "Chiron is going to _flay us alive!_ "

"I know!" Thalia yelled back as she slapped her bracelet and yelled "Aegis!". It expanded into a shield with the _nastiest_ face Naruto had ever seen engraved on the surface. "We'll talk about it later! For now, run!"

"To where?!"

"Anywhere but here!"

"I could kill them," Naruto offered but Zoe immediately shook her head.

"Those are Spartoi, Naruto. They cannot be killed."

"Was that a challenge? That sounded like a challenge - "

"I'm serious," Zoe snapped as they sprinted across the parking lot, the skeleton warriors close behind. "We don't have the time to waste for you to figure out how to kill them. We have to go."

Naruto sighed but complied. He didn't want to make an enemy out of Zoe just yet. "Very well. I'll delay them, then."

Zoe frowned. "How - " her words died in her mouth as several shadow clones appeared.

Naruto grinned at her expression. "Did I mention I could make clones out of my chakra?"

"That's _awesome!_ " Percy was suddenly running next to Naruto. "How strong are they?"

"They disperse after just one punch," Naruto admitted. "However. . ." He smirked. "I doubt the skeletons will be able to land a hit."

Sure enough, after a few minutes, they slowed down to a stop in an alleyway. The skeleton warriors were nowhere in sight. The sound of gunfire could be heard a distance behind them.

"They're still fighting," Zoe said in surprise. "I thought your clones would've died a long time ago."

"I told you I could fight them," Naruto grumbled.

"You could fight them, but you couldn't kill them," Zoe responded.

Naruto paused. She was correct, he realized as one of his clones dispersed and sent him the memories. The skeletons were being easily torn apart, but they were regenerating instantly; it was like fighting Hidan.

"What do we do now?" Thalia asked. "We no longer have a van. Percy, I don't suppose you have any more pegasi?"

Percy shook his head. "I've got nothing. Naruto? Can your chakra summon a car?"

"Nope."

"Unfortunate." Percy rubbed his chin. "We can always just steal a car, but I'd prefer not to."

"Perhaps we can hire a taxi?"

"And drive cross-country? I doubt any driver would do it."

Naruto ignored their conversation as he approached the alley wall. There was something. . . off; his intuition was practically screaming at him. He examined the brick wall. There! That brick was a different color than the rest. He touched it experimentally - and gasped when a blue delta lit up and the wall collapsed inwards, revealing an opening.

Zoe, Percy, and Thalia instantly jumped back at the noise. "What is that?!" Zoe hissed.

"A tunnel," Bianca said as she walked forward. "It's a tunnel that leads downwards and away from here."

Zoe frowned. "How do you know that?"

Bianca paused. "I don't know," she admitted. "I can. . . sense it? I can't really describe it."

"Should we enter?" Thalia cautiously approached the opening, her spear appearing in her hand.

"No. Absolutely not." Every fiber of Naruto's being was telling him to get the hell out of there. Going underground. . . even the thought of it sent a new shiver down Naruto's spine. Apparently, being a son of Artemis meant having an intense aversion to going underground. It made sense, though; the underground was practically the opposite of Artemis's domains.

"Why? What's wrong?" Percy inquired.

"It's just that. . . I'm getting a really bad feeling."

"Don't worry," Percy smiled reassuringly. "It'll be fine." He gazed at the entrance. "I think we should enter. I mean, it's not like we have any other ideas. Besides, we can always exit if it doesn't work."

Zoe nodded. "This may be an old tunnel leftover from the days of the Civil War built by the Hephaestus children. I heard they had tunnels underneath large areas of the US; perhaps this is one of them."

Naruto sighed. "Fine. Let's go." He didn't like it, but he was never one to run away.

Bianca was the one to lead the way, surprisingly. The second they entered the tunnel, she seemed to stand straighter and there was a new strength to her steps. Naruto glanced at her curiously. Odd. It was as if she just entered her godly parent's domain and received a power boost, just like how Naruto was always stronger whenever he was in a forest. Who was her parent? The god of tunnels? The god of the underground? Underground. Underworld. _Underworld_.

Naruto suddenly stilled as his eyes widened. There's no way. But. . .

Before he could say anything, the entrance behind them shut with a loud clang. Naruto whirled around and immediately jumped back in surprise. There was a solid wall right behind them - the path they had taken was gone, as if it had never existed.

". . . coming down here may have been a mistake," Percy admitted as he uncapped his pen and a glowing bronze sword appeared.

Zoe nodded as she drew her own sword. "Be careful," she warned.

The light from their swords and Thalia's spear cast a dim glow on the walls as they slowly walked forward. They stopped at an intersection. "Left," Bianca said without any hesitation.

"Are you sure?" Thalia frowned.

Bianca nodded. "Yes. Going to the right feels. . . bad."

They continued moving for about an hour, navigating the twists and turns. At one point, they had stopped to see a pile of bones on the ground. Human remains. They had quickly moved on.

Out of curiosity, Naruto had sent a few shadow clones in the direction that Bianca told them not to go. They had disappeared into the dark tunnels - and dispersed moments later due to a large variety of reasons, including but not limited to: dismemberment, decapitation, defenestration (don't ask Naruto how _that_ happened _underground_ ), and large spikes piercing through their bodies.

Somehow, every choice Bianca made had been the correct one, and they safely continued their journey down in the tunnels. They rarely talked - the atmosphere was _way_ too creepy for any conversation - and so in the silence, the sound of a fire crackling to life up ahead was like an explosion.

They all tensed up as the light from the fire lit up the corridor, revealing a scruffy man. He gave a toothless grin when he saw them and raised his hand in greeting. "Hey there, kids! Y'all need to get warmed up?"

They stared.

"How stupid do you think we are?" Thalia asked incredulously. "Are you really going to try to act like a harmless homeless man?"

The man scratched his head. "Yeah, in retrospect, perhaps this wasn't the best idea." He sighed. "But I promise you: I mean you no harm."

Zoe stepped forward. "Who are you?"

The man raised his hand to his heart, wounded. "You don't recognize me, sweethe - " He coughed. "That is to say, I do not know who you are and I have never seen you before today. My name is Fred. It's good to meet you."

They exchanged glances.

"In all of history, there has only been one man who continued to call me 'sweetheart'. All the others did it once. Just once," Zoe said darkly. "What are you doing here. . . Apollo."

The man sighed as his disguise vanished in a flash of golden light and his normal form replaced it. "Damn. Curse my smooth tongue; it failed me when I needed it the most." Apollo flashed them a grin. "Heya, campers and Hunters. . . and _Naruto_." The temperature around them seemed to drop by ten degrees.

Naruto paled considerably as he tried his hardest to turn himself invisible. When that failed to work, he slowly backed up until he was standing behind everyone. _Then_ he spoke. "What's up, Apollo?" he smiled casually as if he wasn't using his questmates as meat shields.

Apollo took a step forward, his body emitting a bright golden light. After being in the darkness of the tunnel, the intensity of the light was blinding. " _What's up_?" he hissed. "Is that all you're going to say after what you did?"

Naruto took a deep breath to ready himself. Then he smirked. Apollo tensed up despite himself. They locked eyes and had a silent staring match, Naruto exuding as much confidence as he possibly could and Apollo trying to determine if Naruto was bluffing once again or if he truly had a hidden surprise. It was bad enough being embarrassed in front of the gods; it was a whole other thing to be humiliated in front of the ladies. And Percy, of course.

Percy watched the standoff with confusion. "Naruto? What's wrong?"

"Apollo and I had a. . . mild disagreement before I left for Camp Half-Blood," Naruto tilted his head. "Did I not mention that?"

"Nope."

"Huh. My bad," Naruto surreptitiously reached into this kunai pouch, looking for his smoke bombs. If things turned ugly, he did not want to be trapped with an enraged Apollo in a confined space. Sure, there was a chance that he might die if he ran into the wrong tunnel, but quite honestly, Apollo scared him more. He blinked as a spark of inspiration hit him. "Wait. What am I doing?"

Apollo shrugged. "No idea. A smart demigod would be running away screaming right now. Why are you still here talking?"

Naruto shook his head, a smile slowly spreading on his face. "No, that's not it. You can't do anything to me," he breathed. "I'm on the quest now. I'm protected by the Ancient Laws."

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "Is that truly what you think?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup. I'm calling your bluff, Apollo."

A moment. Two. Then Apollo deflated. "You're right," he sighed. "As much as I want to inflict some painful punishments on you, now that you're on the quest, any direct interference from me is prohibited. Even me being here right now is risky."

Naruto silently breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I thought. So, what are you doing here?"

"Hmm. . ." Apollo tapped his chin. "Let's see here. Ah, yes. _What in the name of Hades are you doing in the_ Labyrinth?!"

Zoe's eyes widened. "We're in the _Labyrinth?!_ "

"Yup. Which just begs the question: why are you guys down here and how haven't you all died a gruesome death yet?"

"Wait, Labyrinth?" Percy spoke up confusedly. "The thing the Minotaur was trapped in?"

Apollo nodded. "Indeed, Percy. The Labyrinth, Daedalus's greatest and most terrible creation. A living underground maze that extends across the entire world. Also renowned for being a death maze that most beings who enter do not exit."

Percy blinked. "Naruto, what did you get us into?"

"How is any of this my fault?!" Naruto protested.

"You were the one who opened up the entrance in the first place."

"Yeah, but I explicitly said that we should not go down here!"

"Ah, so it's Naruto's fault. I see, that makes sense," Apollo nodded in understanding.

" _Excuse me?"_

"But I don't get it," Apollo shook his head confusedly. "How are you guys still alive and sane? You've been down here for half a day already - "

"Half a day?!" Zoe repeated. "How? We've been down here for an hour at most - " She paused. "Time flows differently down here," she guessed.

Apollo nodded. "Correct. At any rate, how are you all alive and sane? If you've been moving non-stop for an entire hour, then it's virtually impossible for you guys to have guessed the safe path to take every single time - it goes against mathematics itself."

"It was Bianca," Thalia spoke up.

Apollo turned his gaze to the newest Hunter. "Oh? Elaborate."

"She was the one to lead us," Thalia explained. "At every intersection, she always chose the correct path, with the alternate paths being lethal. Naruto sent in clones to check."

Apollo stared at Bianca, who slowly began to flush under the intensity of his gaze. "Umm. . . I'm sorry? Was I not supposed to do that?"

"A daughter of Tyche, the goddess of luck, perhaps?" Apollo mused, ignoring her. "Or maybe even Hecate - the Labyrinth utilizes vast amounts of Mist to function."

"I don't know," Bianca shrugged helplessly.

Apollo scrutinized her. "Ehh, whatever. You all need to get out of the Labyrinth _now_. When you're down here, you're shielded from the vision of the gods - and by extension, their help and assistance as well. I've heard stories of dead souls that hid from Hades and Thanatos themselves by hiding in the Labyrinth. Besides, even though you've been lucky so far, there's no guarantee that the Labyrinth won't lead you straight into Tartarus, or something." He paused before muttering under his breath, "This isn't your quest anyways."

Thalia frowned. "Then how did you find us if the Labyrinth shields us from view?"

Apollo grinned. "I have awesome prophecy powers."

"Then can you tell us where Artemis is?"

Apollo's face darkened. "I know a lot, and I see a lot. But even I don't know that. She's. . . clouded from me. I don't like it."

"And Annabeth?" Percy spoke up.

Apollo frowned. "Oh, you mean that girl you lost? Hmmm. I don't know."

"What about the monster Artemis was hunting?" Zoe asked. "Do you know what it was?"

"No," Apollo shook his head.

"Yeah, I can definitely see just how _awesome_ your prophecy powers are," Naruto muttered dryly.

"Hey, give me a break," Apollo defended. "Prophecies and visions come to me, not the other way around. Besides, I'm fairly certain Artemis is in a foreign domain, which is why I am unable to locate her. As for the monster, however, there is one who may know. His name is Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea. You can find him in San Francisco. He has a long memory and a sharp eye, and he may possess knowledge that even my Oracle doesn't know."

"But it's _your_ Oracle," Percy protested. "Can't you tell us what the prophecy means?"

Apollo sighed dramatically. "You might as well ask an artist to explain his art, or ask a poet to explain his poem - "

"Basically, he's saying that he has no clue," Naruto summarized. "But seriously? None at all?"

Apollo hesitated. "Contrary to popular belief, not _everything_ is fated or predestined to happen. Some things are, yes, but for the large part, there are infinite possibilities, and even a god cannot know them all. Prophecies are vague for a reason; while they always come true, the _process_ in which they come true is malleable. Just like how there are many ways to kill a human, there are many ways for a prophecy to realize itself." He frowned. "That was a bad analogy."

"Terrible," Naruto agreed. "But dang. For the god of prophecy, you're kinda useless."

Apollo's eyes flashed dangerously as Percy, Thalia, and Zoe slowly backed away from Naruto. When she saw that Bianca wasn't moving, Zoe reached out and pulled Bianca away as well. "Naruto," Apollo began exuding a menacing aura. "I may not be able to touch you while you're on this quest. But once it is over. . ." his fingers twitched. "You will rue this day."

Naruto paused. "If you're trying to be scary, you're not very good at it. I mean, who even uses the word 'rue'?"

The menacing aura vanished as Apollo pouted - _he actually pouted_. "You think? I admit, Father is better at being dramatic than me, but I think my execution was pretty good."

Naruto chuckled, thinking of Nagato and Obito - hell, even Zabuza. "Trust me, if you want to do _scary_ , you're going to have to try really damn hard."

"Umm, Naruto?" Zoe began cautiously. "You _do_ know what he did to that one satyr - "

"That never happened," Apollo instantly said. "I deny all accusations." He winked at Thalia. "Don't listen to Zoe; she's just trying to besmirch my good name." And he shot her a dazzling smile.

Naruto watched in horror as Thalia blushed. Was this Apollo's womanizing ways that Artemis warned him about?

Apollo snapped his fingers. "Well, in any case, you guys should probably leave the Labyrinth before lava comes pouring in, or something. My prophecy powers may not be telling me where Artemis is or what monster she was hunting, but it _did_ tell me that you should go straight ahead, take a right, take another right, go through the false wall, then go up. There should be an exit there. Good luck, heroes. You'll need it."

"Thanks Apollo," Percy grinned.

"No problem. Oh, and one more thing. Naruto?" Apollo waited until he commanded Naruto's full attention. Then he smirked. "I'm banning Hestia from making ramen for the next month." And he vanished in a flash of golden light.

Naruto stared off into space, umoving, as still as a statue.

"Naruto? Are you alright?" Thalia asked in concern.

A single tear trickled down Naruto's cheek. "He can't do this," he whispered. "He can't. _I'll stop him_."

"Err, right. Well, if we truly are in a death maze, we should probably get out. What did Apollo say we should do again?"

"Follow me," Bianca said determinedly. "I know the way; I can sense it."

Percy stared at her with an unrecognizable expression. Naruto narrowed his eyes. Did he also have the same suspicions as Naruto -

"Were you bitten by a spider when you were little?" Percy asked.

Naruto facepalmed. Nope, never mind.

Bianca frowned. "No? Why?"

Percy shrugged. "It's as if you have a Spidey-Sense."

"What?"

Percy scrunched his eyebrows together. "You know. . . one of Spiderman's powers? His Spidey-Sense?"

"Who's Spiderman?" Bianca asked confusedly.

Percy paused. "You. . . don't know who Spiderman is?"

Bianca shook her head nervously. "No. Should I?"

"But. . . how?" Percy looked lost. "How about Iron Man? The Hulk?"

"Never heard of them."

Percy scratched his head. "Huh. That's odd." He shrugged. "Ehh, whatever. Spiderman is a superhero who was bitten by a radioactive spider and got special powers, one of them being his Spidey-Sense which gave him a sixth sense, kinda like how you're navigating the Labyrinth."

"Oh. Thanks, I guess?"

Percy smiled. "You're welcome."

The wall in front of them collapsed as Naruto located yet another blue delta and touched it. They walked out to find themselves outside of a boarded-up taco shop that looked like it had shut down a long time ago. There was a junkyard across from it. Mountains of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal that seemed to go on forever. A sign on the side of a post office that read _GILA CLAW, ARIZONA._ It was nighttime, and the stars were out.

"No way," Thalia breathed. "That's impossible. There's no way we could've traveled thousands of miles in just a few hours."

"Time and space is distorted within the Labyrinth," Zoe surmised.

Naruto's eyes widened. "So you're saying that going just one meter in the Labyrinth might mean going an entire mile in the real world?"

Zoe nodded. "I do not know the exact conversion rate, but in essence, yes."

Was. . . was the Labyrinth its own dimension?! What sort of space-time magic was involved? This was _insane!_

"What should we do now?" Bianca asked.

Zoe examined the junkyard. "Apollo led us to this exit for a reason. There's probably something essential in the junkyard - perhaps an enchanted vehicle that will allow us to reach San Francisco?"

Thalia shrugged. "Perhaps. Let's check it out - " She was interrupted by a blazing light from down the road. The headlights of a car appeared out of nowhere. Naruto tensed up. Did the skeleton warriors reach them? There was no way. A deathly white limousine slid to a stop in front of them.

The back door of the limo opened right next to Percy. Before he could step away, the point of a sword flicked out - and was promptly blocked by a kunai. Naruto glared at the occupant in the car. Fortunately, it wasn't a skeleton warrior.

"Oh? Kid, not bad." A man stepped out of the car and Naruto pushed chakra to his muscles to continue pushing the sword back. His arm shook slightly; whoever the man was, he was _strong_.

A big man with a crew cut, a black leather biker's jacket, black jeans, a white muscle shirt, and combat boots. Wraparound shades hid his eyes.

"Ares," Percy growled.

Ares glanced at Naruto. "At ease." He snapped his fingers and Naruto's kunai fell to the ground. Another kunai replaced it almost immediately.

The war god's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Kid, this is a friendly meeting. Unless, of course, you insist it not to be, in which case I will gladly oblige." He smirked.

Naruto hesitated. Besides almost taking off Percy's head, Ares hadn't made any threatening moves. "Lower your sword," Naruto said.

Ares chuckled. "Very well." His sword disappeared from view. Satisfied, Naruto lowered his kunai as well.

"You have a good reaction time," Ares said in approval.

Naruto inclined his head. "Thank you. You're pretty strong yourself."

"What are you doing here, Lord Ares?" Zoe asked cautiously.

Ares shrugged. "Well, I _was_ going to get some. . . let's just say, _happy_ time, if you know what I mean." He raised his eyebrows suggestively. Zoe recoiled in disgust. "Sadly, my lady decided that she wanted to see a certain piece of shit."

"He means me," Percy explained helpfully.

"Your lady? Who is that?" Thalia frowned.

Ares looked over at her. "Well, well. Thalia, daughter of Zeus. You're not hanging out with very good company. Well, except for the kid. He's not half bad."

"What's your business, Ares?" Thalia asked. "Who's in the limo?" she paused. "Oh. It's _her_ , isn't it."

Ares grinned. "Indeed. Well, she only wants the piece of shit, so the rest of you: scram."

"We will not leave Percy alone with you, Lord Ares," Zoe said respectfully, but there was a hint of steel in her voice.

Ares heaved a heavy sigh. "See, here's the thing. I'm already in a pretty shitty mood tonight. I like my _happy_ time, you see, and because of you guys, I'm not getting it. So I'm warning you: don't push me. Go get yourselves some tacos, or something."

Naruto looked over. "The taco place is closed," he observed.

Ares snapped his fingers and the lights inside the shop suddenly blazed to life. The _CLOSED_ sign flipped to _OPEN_ and the boards flew off the door. "You were saying?"

"I stand corrected."

"It's fine," Percy spoke up. "I'll handle this."

Ares grinned. "You heard the piece of shit. He's big and strong. So leave. _Now_."

Naruto hesitated before turning around -

"Have Naruto stay." A female voice called out from inside the limo. Naruto whirled around, surprised.

Ares frowned. "Who? Oh, you mean the kid? Alright." He motioned at Naruto. "You heard her. Stay."

Naruto shrugged, taking it in stride. "Alright."

Zoe, Bianca, and Thalia shot them one last concerned glance before heading over to the taco restaurant.

Ares regarded Percy with a look of loathing, then opened the limousine door like a chauffeur. "Get inside, punk. And mind your manners - she's not as forgiving of rudeness as I am." Then he turned to regard Naruto. "Kid, I have no idea why she wants to see you, but try not to anger her. You make a fine warrior, and I would hate to see your life be destroyed."

That. . . wasn't ominous at all.

XxX

They got into the limo and Percy's jaw promptly dropped at the sight of the woman. Naruto didn't notice, however. The second he saw her, Naruto froze and his thoughts screeched to a halt.

Slender. Long, dark blue hair. Pale violet eyes.

"Ah, there you are, Percy - "

"Hinata?" Naruto whispered.

She turned to him, confused. "What?"

No. . . it wasn't Hinata. She looked like her, but she had none of Hinata's innocence or charm. "Who are you?" Naruto demanded.

The woman smiled. "I am Aphrodite. The goddess of love."

Awwww shit. This wasn't good.


	7. Love's Hatred

Out of all the Olympians, Aphrodite was the one Naruto was the most wary of. Firstly, Artemis and Aphrodite aren't exactly on good terms. A little-known fact is that the intensity of their conflict rivaled that of Poseidon and Athena's. Aphrodite was the goddess of love, and Artemis swore off all love. That in itself wouldn't have offended Aphrodite that much - after all, there were numerous other maiden goddesses. However, not only did Artemis swear off love, but she also required her Hunters to swear off all love.

To Aphrodite, that was unacceptable. To her, it was an active attack on her domain; it would be as if Aphrodite had a group of followers who actively destroyed forests. After all, by requiring the Hunters to swear off love, Artemis was essentially destroying their chances of falling in love. She had also said numerous times that "love was useless" and "love will only lead to despair", phrases that didn't exactly endear herself to Aphrodite.

The hatred was mutual. On multiple occasions, Aphrodite had used her magic to cause a Hunter to go astray and fall in love against her will and break her oath. And Artemis could not allow a Hunter who broke their oath to remain with the Hunters, and so she was always forced to abandon the Hunter. Given the fact that the Hunters were essentially Artemis's family, it was understandable exactly why Artemis despised Aphrodite so much.

While Aphrodite couldn't do anything to Artemis directly, if she found out that Naruto was Artemis's child. . . it wouldn't be pretty. If Naruto was lucky, she would just tell the other Olympians and force a vote to blast him out of existence - after all, his very existence as a _male_ child of Artemis goes against the natural laws of the world itself. He is something that should not exist; an abomination of the highest degree.

If there is one thing that nearly all the gods can agree on, it's that they don't like change.

Of course, that would only happen if Naruto was lucky. Besides, if they did vote to blast him out of existence, Naruto was confident enough that he would pass the vote. And even if he was voted to be blasted out of existence, he could always pull out Six Paths Sage Mode - however, that would be a double-edged sword because once it's revealed how powerful he truly is, the gods would undoubtedly think of him as a threat and try to dispose of him.

Naruto did not want to be the cause of a war within his family. Ever. Not unless there was no other choice.

If Naruto was unlucky, however. . . well, Aphrodite was the goddess of love. Making Naruto's life miserable could be done _very_ easily.

Next to Naruto, Percy made some weird choking noises, as if he forgot how to breathe. Naruto rolled his eyes and elbowed him in the gut.

"OOF - thanks, Naruto," Percy said sheepishly as he regained his senses.

Naruto didn't blame him. Even as he watched, Aphrodite's features shifted to pink hair and green eyes. Sakura. Her appearance constantly shifted, growing more and more perfect and beautiful by the second.

Genjutsu, perhaps? Naruto idly wondered if it would be rude to stab himself with a kunai, but decided against it. He had to keep a low profile. It was bad enough that Aphrodite asked for him specifically. He didn't know why, and quite frankly, he didn't want to know - he just wanted to get away.

"Who is Hinata?" Even that innocent question sounded seductive in Aphrodite's voice.

Naruto tensed slightly. Ah, right. In his initial surprise, he had blurted out her name. "She's uhh. . ." He already told Percy that the only people he has met in his life were Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia. "She's a video game character."

Aphrodite frowned. "Oh. I see." Then she turned back to Percy, ignoring Naruto entirely. "Percy, hold this, please." Aphrodite handed Percy a polished mirror. She leaned forward and dabbed at her lipstick. Was there something wrong with her face? She looked fine to Naruto, but then again, he wasn't exactly experienced in the art of makeup. Well, besides his kabuki paint, but he doubted that it counted.

"Do you know why you're here?" Aphrodite addressed Percy.

"I. . . I don't know," Percy responded. "Because Ares would've tried to decapitate me otherwise?"

Aphrodite hummed. "Perhaps my question was too vague. Why are you here on this quest?"

"Artemis has been captured."

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. "Oh, Artemis. _Please_. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don't you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. She is truly a _dreadful_ sight to look at."

Naruto had multiple objections to that.

"But I digress. I know that's why the others are on the quest: they wish to save Artemis and defeat the monster she was hunting. I'm more interested in _you_."

"Annabeth is in danger," Percy automatically answered, as if some compulsion had overtaken him and forced him to reply.

Aphrodite beamed. "Exactly! A quest for true love! Oh, it's perfect."

Percy blushed. "It's not - I'm not - "

Aphrodite waved her hand. "Don't deny it, Percy. You know how close Annabeth was to joining the Hunters." Her eyes flashed angrily at that.

"I mean, I - " It appeared Percy had forgotten how to speak. He slowly lowered the mirror.

Aphrodite sighed. "Come on, Percy. I'm on your side here. I'm the reason you're here, after all."

Percy blinked. "What?"

"The T-shirt laced with centaur blood the Stoll brothers gave Phoebe," Aphrodite smiled. "Did you think they came up with that themselves? Of course, that plan failed due to young Naruto over here. The Hunters also thwarted several other of my attempts: the poisoned food, the exploding bow. Fortunately, the Myrmekes I stirred up in the end convinced Phoebe to give up."

Wait. Hold up. _What?!_

"That was you?" Naruto demanded.

She nodded with no shame. "Of course. Why, who did you think it was?"

 _Kronos. The Titans._ Naruto didn't say any of that out loud, of course. He could only stare at her incredulously. She tried to seriously hurt the Hunters so Percy could go on the quest?

"Because, really. These Hunters are just so boring. Going onto a quest to save Artemis - let her stay lost, I say. But a quest for true love. . ." Aphrodite sighed dreamily. "It's perfect. Annabeth was about to throw her life away and join the Hunters! And you, Percy Jackson, can save her from that. It's so romantic!"

_Did she just say that?_

"Romantic? Wait, what are you - "

"Now see here, Percy," Aphrodite leaned forward. "The Hunters are your enemies. Forget them and Artemis and the monster. They're not important. Instead, concentrate on finding and saving Annabeth."

 _She did not just say that._ Something cracked. It was Naruto's patience.

"Artemis. . . is not important?" Naruto's voice shook with barely restrained anger.

Aphrodite turned to him, surprised. "Oh? I remember you. You were the kid with that new power. Chi, was it?"

"Chakra."

"Whatever," Aphrodite dismissed. "You're still young; you don't understand love yet. Love conquers all. Fighting for a useless goddess and some dusty old monster - boring. But fighting for love?" She smiled at Percy. "That's something worth fighting for, perhaps even dying for."

"Yeah, uh, I'd like to keep the dying at the minimum." Percy glanced at Naruto worriedly, as if he was afraid that Naruto was going to say something that would get them both vaporized. "Anyway, it's been nice talking to you and all, but I think we should go."

"So eager to go save Annabeth," Aphrodite mused. "It's too cute. We haven't had a good tragic love story in a long time; I look forward to seeing how yours unfolds."

"Hold up, _tragic?_ "

"You realize, Lady Aphrodite," Naruto interrupted, "that Artemis is vital for the fight against the Titans, correct? And that the monster she was hunting would bring the downfall of Olympus?"

Aphrodite sighed impatiently. " _Please_. Are you really worried about the Titans? I mean, what are they going to do? And besides, the Hunters are already taking care of that. No, what truly matters is that Percy gets reunited with Annabeth and prevents her from becoming a Hunter."

. . . _wow_. Naruto knew that many of the gods didn't care about the Titans, but _wow_. It's one thing to hear about it, it's another thing to actually see it in action. He was starting to fully understand why the Council meeting would be doomed without Artemis.

"Yeah, I'm pretty worried about the Titans," Percy piped up. "You know, since they're trying to cause the destruction of Western Civilisation. And kill me. Emphasis on the _kill me_ part."

"Oh, don't be dramatic," Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively. "At any rate, follow your heart."

"My heart doesn't exactly have a GPS," Percy said dryly. "How am I supposed to know where it's going?"

Aphrodite smiled sympathetically. "Not knowing is half the fun. Exquisitely painful, isn't it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It's too cute. But don't worry, Percy. I'm not going to let this be easy and boring for you. No, I have some wonderful surprises in store. Anguish. Indecision. Oh, you just wait."

Percy's expression darkened. "What?"

"Now, you'd better go," Aphrodite waved her hand and the mirror on Percy's lap disappeared. "And do be careful in my husband's territory. Don't take anything. He's awfully fussy about his trinkets and broken projects, even if they are just trash."

"What did you mean by _anguish_?" Percy demanded. "Are you going to screw up my love life?"

Aphrodite's hand flew to her mouth, shocked. "Of course not! I'm only trying to help you, Percy. There are dark times ahead for you, but as long as you stay strong and follow your heart, you will eventually see the light."

And before Percy could respond, the car door opened and Ares grabbed him and tossed him unceremoniously out of the car. Percy landed on his feet with a glare. "Hey, what's the big idea - "

Ares shut the door behind them, leaving Naruto alone with Aphrodite. Outside, Naruto could hear Percy and Ares begin throwing insults at each other.

"So. . . I should get going as well," Naruto reached for the door. He didn't want to even be _near_ Aphrodite.

"Naruto, what are you hiding?"

Naruto froze before quickly plastering on a confused smile. "What?"

Aphrodite leaned forward and Naruto drew in a sharp breath. Her appearance changed again. Red hair. Violet eyes. Beautiful. "Naruto, I'm the goddess of beauty," Aphrodite smiled. Her voice broke the illusion. She may look like Kushina, but she wasn't. "I know when someone is concealing their appearance."

Wait. Oh no.

"What do you mean?" Naruto frowned. Inwardly, he was panicking. She detected his Henge. Damn it. He had underestimated her.

Aphrodite sighed impatiently. "Don't lie to me, Naruto. Appearances are within my domain, and so trust me when I say that you are not who you appear you are."

She reached out her hand and touched Naruto's face gently. "So tell me. What are you hiding?"

Naruto tensed up as he sensed something foreign being emitted from Aphrodite. Divine power. A moment later, he felt his chakra cracking and the Henge dispelling. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to hastily reapply the Henge, but it didn't work - the Henge refused to form.

She blocked his chakra? How?! What the hell?! No. . . it wasn't that. His chakra was working; she was simply altering reality itself; appearances were her domain and as such she had absolute control over all its aspects. It would be the same as trying to use a water jutsu against Poseidon; he had absolute control and as such the water would simply refuse to respond to the chakra. Gods could literally alter the reality of their domains on a whim.

It was like having admin level commands in a game where you could literally set changeAppearance = False.

"What. . .?" Aphrodite whispered, looking at his face. "What in the name of Ouranos? Did it not work?" She shook her head. "No, I sense no other illusions on you. Which means this is your true form. But. . . _how?!_ "

Naruto laughed nervously. "Well, this is awkward. Umm. . . My mother is Leto. Which is why I have a resemblance to Artemis. We're half-siblings." Gods, he hoped it worked.

"Don't lie," Aphrodite murmured, still half-frozen in shock. "Leto would've told me. Besides, she's been on Delos for the past several centuries, and I know for a fact she hasn't gotten together with any mortal. You're Artemis's child, aren't you? This explains your strange attachment to her, as well as why the satyr said you had her scent."

Then her face twisted into a hateful snarl. "I see. So Artemis had a child, huh? Just when I thought she couldn't go any lower - "

"Don't speak about her like that," Naruto snapped. His secret was out. There was no point in being polite and going under the radar anymore. "You disgust me, you know that?"

Aphrodite's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

"You're the goddess of love," Naruto narrowed his eyes. "But instead of helping others find true love, all you do is find sick entertainment in the suffering of others. A tragic love story? Anguish and indecision? What right do you have to mess with Percy's life like that? You're not playing a video game; you're playing with a person's _life_ here!"

Aphrodite stared at him, as if having trouble believing that he was speaking to her like that.

Outside, the sound of Percy and Ares's argument abruptly cut to a stunned silence. Then, in perfect synchronization, Naruto heard them step slowly away from the car, as if getting out of the splatter zone of an imminent explosion.

"You dare?" Aphrodite hissed and finally at long last, Kushina's face melted away and was replaced by the face of. . . Haku?!

Naruto blanched in horror. He wasn't attracted to Haku! Haku was a guy! Naruto wasn't gay! Sure, Haku was prettier than most of the girls Naruto had seen, but still! What the hell? Unless. . . ah, that must be it. Haku must have lied to Naruto and she truly was a girl. Naruto nodded once resolutely. Haku was a girl.

Aphrodite must have interpreted Naruto's look of horror as him finally realizing what he was saying to her, a goddess. "Ah, so you finally understand. But no amount of apologies will make me forgive you. Naruto, the _male_ child of Artemis. No wonder you were kept hidden by Apollo." She looked at him with a newfound hatred. "I wonder. . . yes, that will do. Oh, that is _perfect_."

Naruto glanced at her warily, but Aphrodite simply smiled viciously. "Good bye, Naruto. Have fun with the Hunters."

"What do you mean?" Naruto demanded.

"Let's just say. . . you're going to have some difficulty reapplying your clever little illusion." Aphrodite laughed cruelly. "Oh, I wonder how the Hunters will react to that? To know that their precious mistress _broke the oath_ and had a _male_ child? I wonder how long it will be until their love for their mistress turns to hatred?"

She leaned in close and whispered, as if she was sharing a secret, "Love and hate are _awfully_ similar to each other, you see. It wouldn't be too difficult to twist their love for their mistress into a seething hatred."

Naruto's hands clenched into fists. She was just _asking_ to get punched in the face.

"Artemis's reaction to that would be _beautiful_ ," Aphrodite smiled. "Of course, her pain would be nothing compared to the pain of all the girls out there who she robbed of love, but even a tiny fraction of that would be enough. It's been _centuries_ since I had done anything of this level to Artemis. Thank you, Naruto, for the opportunity."

"Don't you _dare_ do a single thing to the Hunters of Artemis," Naruto's chakra thrummed agitatedly beneath his skin. "Why would you even do this?

Aphrodite shrugged. "Terrible acts have been committed in the name of love. Just look at Helen and Paris." Then she smirked. "Oh, and I should mention. After I have successfully influenced the minds of the Hunters - don't look at me like that; they're the victims here - I'll begin a little vote to, ah, how do I put this: blast you out of existence. It's nothing personal. You are an abomination, and I'm rather interested to see how Artemis would react to her child being killed in front of her. Do you think she'll cry? Personally, I don't think so. She's much too cold-hearted for that."

Naruto was silent for a moment. "I thought the goddess of love would be kind, caring, and compassionate. But clearly, I was wrong. Y'know, after spending so much time with Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia, I had forgotten just how _horrible_ you gods are."

Aphrodite chuckled. "You think Artemis and Apollo haven't done infinitely more horrible things? Don't make me laugh."

Then, before Naruto could respond, she snapped her fingers. The door opened and he was forcibly thrown out of the car by an invisible force, landing hard on his feet. "Have a nice night, Naruto."

Naruto spoke slowly and clearly so there would be no possible way she'd mishear what he said. "I finally understand why my mother despises you." His eyes flashed. "It's because you're a first-rate bitch."

Then he shut the door behind him, not even bothering to see Aphrodite's reaction. The limousine immediately disappeared in a flash of pink light.

Naruto turned to face Percy and Ares, who were staring at him with a mixture of incredulity, disbelief, and horror.

" _Holy_ ," Percy began in a fearful yet almost awed voice.

" _Shit_ ," Ares finished, a hint of respect appearing in his eyes.

For just a moment, there existed no animosity between the two, only a strange camaraderie, as if they had just bonded over the absolute insanity that just occurred.

"How are you still alive?" Percy breathed.

"I have never seen someone speak to her like that without her causing them to fall in love with an inanimate object," Ares agreed.

Naruto's face darkened. "She can cause more pain to Artemis if she keeps me alive."

"Oh yeah. You're Artemis's kid, huh?" Ares rubbed his chin, examining Naruto. "I gotta say, it's almost scary how much you resemble her. How did that happen?"

Naruto shrugged wordlessly. He didn't want to elaborate on the details of his birth. Primarily because he didn't _understand_ the details of his birth all that much. "She didn't break her oath, if that's what you're asking. The details are. . . complicated."

Ares nodded in understanding. "Ah, so you're like one of Athena's kids. Well, nothing personal, but since my lady friend hates you, I gotta hate you as well." He sighed. "It's a shame too; you had the potential to become a great warrior."

Naruto smirked. "Who said I wasn't already one?"

His eyebrows rose. "Oh? Wanna fight?"

Naruto hesitated before shaking his head. "Apologies, Lord Ares, but we're still on a quest. Perhaps afterwards."

Ares grinned. "I'll remember that."

"Wait, hold on, if Artemis didn't break her oath, then how were you born?" Percy asked confusedly. "And what do you mean by _Athena's kids_?"

Naruto and Ares paused. "Err," Naruto began, "You do know that gods don't necessarily need to, umm. . ."

"Have their _happy time_ to make children, right?" Ares continued. At Percy's blank look, he rolled his eyes. "Damn, how can you be this stupid? You know that Athena is a maiden goddess?"

At this, Percy's eyes widened. "She is?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup. She combines her thoughts with a mortal's, essentially creating a 'brain child.'"

"What?!"

"Well, it's a little bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it."

"You mean Annabeth is a brain child?" Percy stared at Naruto. "And you're the same?!"

"More or less." Naruto replied before looking over at the taco shop. He hesitated. "Hey Percy, can you do me a favor? Don't tell the Hunters anything. Please."

Percy nodded. "Got it. I couldn't hear anything, but I did hear that if the Hunters found out about you, Aphrodite would do some pretty bad things. And I wouldn't want that. Oh, and can you also keep what she said to me a secret too?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Kid, hate to break it to you, but Aphrodite already placed a spell on you," Ares cut in. "You can't alter your appearance. Unless you somehow get Eros to come help you, but I doubt that would happen."

"A spell on me, hmm?" Naruto thought it over. "Perhaps. . ."

He brought his hands together in a hand seal again and concentrated. A moment later, silver chakra exploded out of him as he gathered as much as he possibly could. Naruto's eyes flickered for a moment. _Silver?_

"Whoa!" Percy stepped back in shock, but Naruto paid him no heed.

He was wasting a lot of chakra here. Extremely inefficient. It would be as if he summoned a tsunami to fill a single glass of water. But then again, in this analogy, there's something blocking the glass of water, and Naruto has to try to break through it.

 _A little more_. . . His tenketsu burned as the pressure built up within himself. Two times - no, three times the amount of chakra Kakashi-sensei had.

 _Now!_ _Henge no Jutsu!_

Ares's eyes widened behind his shades as pink light shattered around Naruto like broken glass before Naruto became a blonde-haired blue-eyed boy once more. "What in Tartarus?" he muttered as he took off his shades to get a better look, exposing mini-explosions where his eyes should be.

And then it was over. The silver light died down as the chakra dissipated into the air. Naruto stood there, having casually broken Aphrodite's spell.

"What the _fuck_ was that?!" Ares demanded.

Percy looked over, appalled. "Dude, he's like ten years old! Language!"

"Shut the fuck up! What he just did was impossible! Aphrodite has absolute control over her domain! What the fuck?!" Ares had a look of utter confusion and disbelief on his face. "Not even the _gods_ can break her spells."

 _It worked?_ Naruto grinned in exhilaration. For once, his strategy of adding more chakra worked out.

"Kid, I'm serious. How did you just do that?"

Naruto shrugged. "My chakra's awesome, of course."

If a god's powers were like having admin level commands, then Naruto's chakra was a hack altogether.

Ares shook his head in bewilderment. "Right. . . okay then." He glanced up at the sky. "You realize that the other gods probably saw this, right? And they know your secret?"

Naruto grimaced. "Yeah. I do."

Ares nodded. "Expect a meeting with Athena soon. She'll have a _lot_ of questions for you. Oh, and kid? For what it's worth, good luck."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you, Lord Ares."

Ares snapped his fingers and the world spun around them in a cloud of red dust. Naruto was knocked briefly off balance as Percy just flat-out fell to the ground. When the world stopped spinning, the road, the taco restaurant, everything was gone. Zoe, Bianca, Thalia, Percy, and Naruto were standing in the middle of the junkyard, mountains of scrap metal stretched out in every direction.

XxX

"Aphrodite," Zoe hissed after Naruto and Percy filled them in on what happened, minus a few details. "I _hate_ that goddess. Are you two alright?"

Percy and Naruto exchanged a glance.

"We're fine."

"No problem."

"She didn't threaten Naruto or anything."

"Nor did she promise to make Percy's love life hell."

They both nodded in sync. "Nothing happened."

"Really?" Thalia asked doubtfully.

"Yup."

"For sure."

"So. . ." Percy said, anxious to change the subject. "How do we get out of here?"

"That way," Zoe said. "That is west."

"How can you tell?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Ursa Major is in the north which means _that_ must be west." She pointed west, then at the northern constellation.

"Oh yeah," Percy nodded. "The bear thing."

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Show some respect. It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Indeed." Artemis had told him about the story of Callisto before.

Zoe shot Naruto a surprised glance but didn't comment on it. "At any rate, if what you say about this being her husband's junkyard is true, then we should leave."

Thalia nodded. "This is the junkyards of the gods. Don't touch _anything_."

They slowly made their way, staring at the piles of junk around them in awe. Gold, silver, refrigerators, car parts, swords, bows -

"Look!" Bianca picked up a bow that glowed silver in moonlight. "A Hunter's bow!"

Thalia glared at Zoe. "What?" Zoe said defensively. "She's new; she hasn't even gone through How To Not Anger The Gods 101 yet. Bianca, when we say to don't touch anything, we mean it. The gods are extremely protective of their stuff. Drop it."

Bianca deflated. "Alright - whoa!" The bow began to shrink and became a hair clip shaped like a crescent moon. "It's just like Percy's sword - "

"Bianca," Zoe said grimly. "On top of the gods being protective of their stuff, all these items are in this junkyard for a reason. They are defective. Or cursed."

Bianca reluctantly set down the hair clip.

"Shall we run?" Naruto suggested. They were wasting time right now.

Zoe nodded. "Just don't trip."

They began sprinting west. Naruto and Zoe led the way, easily navigating past all the junk. Percy and Bianca were right behind them and Thalia was in the rear, on the lookout for enemies with her spear.

Finally, they saw the edge of the junkyard about half a mile ahead of them, the lights of a highway stretching through the desert. However. . .

"What is that?" Bianca gasped. Ahead of them was a hill larger than the others, the length of a training field and as tall as the two-story building. It was made completely out of metal, and at one end was ten thick metal columns, wedged tightly together. "They look like. . . toes. Really large toes."

Zoe and Thalia exchanged nervous glances. "Let's go around," Thalia said. " _Far_ around."

"Why?" Percy asked, frowning. "The road is right there." He paused as he realized the full implications of there being huge metal toes on the ground. "Oh. Never mind."

After several minutes of walking, they finally stepped onto the highway.

"We made it out," Zoe breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank the gods."

A little too soon. Behind them, Naruto heard a sound that he could only describe as a thousand Asura-path Pains getting blown into tiny metal pieces. He whirled around only to see a giant bronze giant in full Greek battle armor. Those _were_ toes of a giant metal giant. It stood taller than the Hokage Mountain. A machine that big? How?

"Talos!" Zoe's bow was out in a flash. "But. . . no. It can't be the original. It's too small."

_Too small?!_

"It must be a prototype," Thalia guessed. "A defective model."

The metal giant moved, drawing a rusty and dull sword easily a hundred-feet long. It raised the sword high above its head, its joints creaking. Then it slammed its sword down on top of the demigods. They scattered immediately.

Naruto frowned as he backflipped in the air and landed on top of a truck with a broken windshield. They were wasting time right now. "Zoe!" he yelled. "Do you have any explosive arrows?"

"No!" She yelled back as she fired a volley of arrows that shattered harmlessly against the giant's face. The giant attacked Thalia, interspersing his strikes with stomps on the ground that sent debris rocketing everywhere at great speeds.

Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and withdrew several arrows - although they weren't normal arrows. Instead of a metal arrowhead, there was instead a crystal filled with a green liquid. A Greek fire arrow. "Here!" He threw them to her like he would throw kunai.

Zoe caught them out of the air effortlessly, looking at them in surprise. "Greek fire arrows?" She smirked. "I see growing up with Apollo has its benefits."

"You take care of the giant! I'll go check if Percy and Bianca are okay. There might be other defenses set up here."

Naruto closed his eyes and extended senses. There. He quickly made his way over to behind a broken chariot, where Percy and Bianca were crouched, having a tense discussion.

"It. . . it was for Nico," Bianca was saying, tears in her eyes. There was a small metal figurine in her hand. Mythomagic. "It was the only figurine he didn't have."

"Throw it down," Percy suggested. "Maybe the giant will leave us alone."

She did, but it didn't seem to do anything. She clenched her fists. "It's my fault that the giant is attacking. I'll. . . I'll make it right. I'll hold it off while you guys get away."

Percy's eyes grew wide. "Bianca, no! You're still new to being a demigod! You're not allowed to have self-sacrificing tendencies yet!"

She shook her head. "No. It's fine. I need to take responsibility."

"Hey Bianca?" Naruto spoke up. They whirled around, obviously not having heard him approach. "I appreciate your dedication and all, but we already got it covered." He smiled. "Besides, I promised Nico that I'll keep you safe, and there is no way I'll let you go sacrifice yourself like that."

"But it's my fault," Bianca protested. "I can't let you guys die - wait what do you mean by you already got it covered?"

There was a sound of a deafening explosion behind him before the metal giant collapsed to the ground with a horrible ear-piercing screeching sound. Naruto smiled at their stunned faces. "What, did you really think a single _defective_ metal giant can beat the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis and a child of the Big Three?"

Bianca only stared back at him dumbly, tears still in her eyes.

XxX

"What the _fuck_."

"I second that."

"I third that."

"I swear, didn't we just cut her thread?"

"We did. How is this even possible?"

"I have no idea. We may actually have a problem here - wait. Am I seeing things?"

"What are you - _is the thread disappearing?!_ "

" _HOW?!_ "

" _I DON'T KNOW!_ "

XxX

"Naruto, everything okay there?" Zoe called.

"Yeah, they're fine. I think the giant was the only defense," Naruto called back before turning back to them. "Anyway, let's go. I don't want to stay in this junkyard for longer than necessary."

"How did you defeat it?" Percy asked curiously as they walked back to the highway.

Zoe inclined her head at Naruto. "He had some Greek fire arrows. Extremely rare and expensive. Very destructive as well."

Percy whistled when he finally got a clear look at the giant's face. It was just _gone_ \- only a concavity remained.

"Why did it attack us?" Thalia asked, wiping some sweat off her forehead.

Bianca looked away guiltily. "Umm. . . I may have taken something."

". . . after everything we said?" Thalia asked disbelievingly.

"Sorry," Bianca whispered. "But. . . I just felt really bad for leaving Nico. And I wanted to get him something." And she looked so sad and remorseful, Zoe and Thalia couldn't even stay mad at her.

"Just don't do it again," Zoe said gently. "I know our commands must seem strange and illogical sometimes, but you just have to trust us on them."

Bianca nodded. "I will. I'm. . . I'm sorry."

"Hey, on a completely unrelated note, how are we supposed to get out of here?" Percy asked, looking around them. They were on a deserted highway, not a car in sight.

"I believe I may be of help," a voice spoke up from behind them.

Naruto spun around, a kunai in hand. It was a woman with stormy grey eyes and long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She was dressed normally - blue jeans, a denim shirt - but she definitely not anyone ordinary. Naruto hadn't sensed her at all - one moment there was nothing behind him, the next she was there.

Either she was a master manipulator of the Mist, or she was a goddess. Judging by Thalia and Zoe's sharp intakes of breath, it was probably the latter.

"Lady Athena," Zoe greeted respectfully.

She inclined her head. "Zoe Nightshade. It's good to see you well."

"With all due respect, what are you doing here?" Thalia inquired.

Athena smiled. "I'm here to ask Naruto some questions."

Zoe frowned. "Naruto? Why?"

Athena opened her mouth to speak but Naruto beat her to it. "Lady Athena is probably interested about my chakra, y'know? I mean, it's new, and I don't think anyone else in this world has chakra."

Athena blinked. "Well, yes. That is one reason why I came. The other is that - "

"Athena, do you know where Annabeth is?" Percy interrupted. Naruto shot him a grateful glance.

Athena's expression darkened. "I have vague suspicions, but nothing concrete."

"If we wish to save Artemis and Annabeth, then we should hurry," Naruto took over. "We shouldn't waste time."

Athena turned to him with a somewhat amused look. "Very well. But before all that, you must rest first. A tired hero is a dead hero."

She snapped her fingers. The world around them cracked before they suddenly found themselves in a rather luxurious hotel room. "Why don't you guys get settled? I'll go talk to Naruto on the balcony."

XxX

Athena stared at Naruto with a clinical gaze. "A male child of Artemis," she mused. "I confess, even I didn't see this coming."

Naruto laughed nervously. "Yeah. Before you ask, no, she did not break her oath. It was essence combination."

"I see. That's a relief, I suppose." Athena leaned in close to Naruto and inhaled deeply.

Naruto jumped back in shock. "Lady Athena?"

"Just making sure," she murmured, materializing a notepad and a pen and scribbling down some notes. "Naruto, take off your shirt."

Naruto blanched. " _What? Why?"_

"I need to check your physiology." She gestured at him impatiently. "Hurry up, now."

"My physiology is human!" Naruto held up his hands defensively. "Apollo already ran extensive medical scans."

"Understood. I'll have to ask him for those records later," Athena made another small note. "How did you break Aphrodite's spell? You're not a god, I presume."

Naruto shook his head. "Definitely not. And I have no idea how I broke the spell. I just pumped in a _lot_ of chakra and it somehow worked out."

"Interesting. Does your chakra have anti-divine properties?"

"Huh? I don't think so. I mean, when I used my Rasengan - which is basically just condensed chakra - it only gave Apollo some light scratches. He did reinforce his stomach with a bit of healing magic though, but that shouldn't have affected it a lot."

Athena nodded, deep in thought. "Are you half-mortal?"

Naruto blinked before shaking his head. "No. I'm not. Although Apollo isn't sure exactly _what_ I am."

"How old are you?"

"Three years old."

Athena didn't look surprised. "Do you feel pain randomly?"

Naruto frowned. "No."

"Really?" Athena made another note. "Have you ever experienced a tearing sensation deep within you? As if your core is being ripped apart?"

". . . no."

And so the questions continued, all seemingly random and innocuous but Naruto couldn't help but get the feeling that Athena was slowly learning everything there was to know about him, even stuff he himself didn't know about. Naruto answered truthfully when he could and lied when there was no other option. He briefly considered lying about everything but then quickly dropped the idea. There was no point, really. It's not as if he was telling her anything really important and he didn't want to be caught up in a lie later on.

The goddess of wisdom and battle was not someone he wanted as an enemy.

Finally, she flicked her hand and the notepad and pen disappeared. "Naruto, what are your intentions towards Olympus?"

"Huh?"

Her grey eyes seemed to pierce straight into Naruto. "Will you ever join up with the Titans?"

"Never!" Naruto replied vehemently. "I would never betray my friends and family."

She nodded. "I see. One last question. If it came to a choice between saving Annabeth and saving Artemis, which would you choose?"

Naruto paused. "Why?"

"Humor me. If you could only save one, then who would it be?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. "Artemis," he finally said. "I'd save Artemis. But I'd still do everything in my power to save Annabeth as well."

For the first time since she began asking questions, Athena smiled as if he had answered correctly. "I see. That is good. You prioritise saving the essential targets."

Naruto's blood ran cold. "Essential?"

Athena nodded. "As much as it pains me to say it, the loss of Artemis would be much more impactful than the loss of my daughter. On this quest, the only people I trust to always save Artemis is you and Zoe Nightshade. Bianca is new so she may try to save Annabeth out of a misplaced kindness, Thalia is her best friend, and the son of Poseidon is in love with my daughter."

"You're Annabeth's mother," Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't you be trying to convince me to prioritise _her_?"

Athena sighed. "She is a mortal, and mortals die. That is the truth. Losing Artemis would be more detrimental in the long run." She noticed Naruto's angry look. "Do not think me to be cruel, Naruto. If my daughter dies, then I will grieve like any mother would. But if Artemis is lost, then the Titans' odds of defeating us increases exponentially. And if the Titans win, then infinitely more lives will be lost."

Naruto couldn't argue against that logic. It was what any leader should do, after all. Kill one person to save a hundred. Kill a hundred to save a thousand. Kill a thousand to save a million. That's what a Hokage would do.

But that doesn't mean Naruto liked it.

"And so, I'm telling you right now, Naruto, do not hesitate to abandon my daughter to save Artemis. No matter what," And for just a second, Naruto could swear he saw a hint of sadness in Athena's eyes but it was gone as quick as it appeared. "Olympus cannot afford to lose Artemis."

Naruto clenched his fists. "Very well. However, there is one thing you're wrong about."

Athena frowned. "And that is?"

"You assume that we will be in a situation where we can only save one. But that will never happen. After all, I'm strong," Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, Lady Athena. I'll save both Mother and Annabeth."

Athena gazed at him with her stormy grey eyes, as if analyzing his very soul. "I hope you do," she finally said. Then she blinked. "Hold on, mother? Artemis lets you call her _mother_?"

"I mean, I normally call her Mom," Naruto tilted his head. "Why?"

Athena's lips quirked up into a small smile. "Nothing. When you get to San Francisco, I have two pieces of advice. First, stay away from the tunnels. Second, your clones cannot bear the weight of the sky."

Naruto frowned. "What?"

But Athena was already gone.

XxX

"What did she want with you?" Bianca asked curiously.

Naruto shrugged. "She asked me a bunch of questions about my chakra." He glanced at the clock on the wall. He had talked to Athena for about an hour. "Shall we leave?"

Zoe nodded, grabbing her gear. "Let's go."

"Wait, now?" Percy protested. "It's like two in the morning!"

Zoe raised her eyebrows. "And?"

"You heard what Athena said: a tired hero is a dead hero!"

"Sleep is for weaklings," Thalia made her way to the door. "Come on. We had an entire hour to rest and eat."

"We saved some for you," Bianca handed Naruto a small take-out box. He opened it to see a cheeseburger inside. "Athena already paid for room service," she explained. "We weren't sure what you'd like, so we just went with the safest option."

Naruto nodded in thanks, taking a bite. Salty. Not that bad.

They exited the hotel. The staff didn't seem to see them; clearly, some Mist residue remained. Something else saw them though.

"Skeleton warriors," Naruto groaned.

"What? There's no way - " Zoe caught sight of them and sighed heavily. "Naruto, you mind holding them off?"

"Sure."

Twenty shadow clones later, they were walking the opposite direction, the sound of fighting behind them.

"How should we get to San Francisco?" Bianca glanced behind them nervously. Naruto had no idea why. It's not as if the skeleton warriors could _defeat_ his shadow clones.

"I can always hotwire a car," Thalia suggested.

Zoe nodded. "We have no other options - "

A scream pierced through the air.

They whirled around. The scream had come from back where the skeletons were fighting.

"A mortal?!" Bianca said in alarm.

"We need to check to see if they're okay," Percy announced grimly. "Come on."

They didn't argue. As they returned to the scene, they saw the skeletons on the ground. In pieces. Trying to regenerate. A few clones absently used the Rasengan whenever they got close to regenerating. Several clones were fighting amongst themselves - Naruto facepalmed. Of course. And there was one clone talking to a red-haired girl.

"How are there twenty of you?!" She waved her hand wildly, her eyes filled with fear. "And are those _skeletons_ on the ground?"

Zoe tensed up. "She can see through the Mist? A clear-sighted mortal."

Percy frowned. "A what?"

"There are certain mortals who the Mist simply does not affect," Thalia explained. "She's probably one of them. That, or she's a demigod."

She turned her head and saw them approach. Her eyes widened further. "There's _another_ one of you?"

"Yo!" Naruto called. "I'll take it from here."

The clone turned around and relief shone in its eyes. "Thanks, Boss." Then it dispelled, causing the girl to gasp in shock.

"What are you?" She whispered, backing up slowly.

"The name's Naruto," Naruto grinned. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare," she responded automatically. "It's nice to meet you as well." Then she frowned. " _What_ are you?"

Thalia stepped forward. "Before that, you mind trying cutting yourself with this?" She offered Rachel her spear. Rachel took another step back.

"Umm, are you crazy?"

"Just trust me," Thalia said.

Rachel bit her lip but grabbed the spear nonetheless, cautiously holding it up to her hand and gently pressing down the tip - and gasped when the spear passed harmlessly through her hand. "What the hell?"

"Clear-sighted mortal," Zoe announced. She sighed. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare, it would be best if you forgot what you saw today."

"Forget what I - " Rachel gaped at her. "You want me to forget about twenty _clones_ beating up skeletons with blue balls of death - "

Percy snickered. Thalia slapped him on the back of the head, shooting him a ferocious glare.

" - a solid holographic spear, as paradoxical as that sounds, and how you guys called me a _mortal_ as if you're not?"

"We don't have time for this," Thalia muttered. "I'll go hotwire a car."

Rachel looked at her in outrage. "You're going to go _what_ now?"

"Nothing."

Rachel bit her lip, thinking hard. "If you guys explain, then I can give you a car."

They all paused.

"You can give us a car?" Zoe asked cautiously. "How, exactly?"

"I'm on vacation right now," Rachel crossed her arms. "We have a rental, and it wouldn't cost us too much if somebody 'stole' it."

They exchanged glances.

"Fine," Zoe accepted. "The Greek gods are real, and so are the monsters. There is normally an illusion that prevents regular mortals from seeing the supernatural, which we call the Mist, but occasionally, there'll be a mortal who can see through the Mist, who we call a clear-sighted mortal. That is what you are."

Rachel stared at her. "If you were going to lie, at least make it sound more believable," she muttered. "Whatever. Apparently, I'm not going to get answers out of you guys." She nodded over to a car parked off in the distance. "Go, take it. I'd rather you steal our rental than some innocent dude's car."

Naruto blinked. She thought they were lying? He did suppose it sounded rather. . . outlandish.

Zoe and Thalia didn't bother correcting her, instead walking towards the car. Percy cast one last glance at the girl before heading for the car as well. Bianca hesitated. "For what it's worth, thank you, Rachel. You have no idea how important this is."

Rachel nodded. "I can imagine. When I went outside to get some fresh air, I did not expect all of _this_ ," she gestured at the clones preventing the skeletons from reforming. "Well, you should get going now."

Bianca nodded and then headed for the car as well, leaving only Naruto and Rachel.

"Don't you need to go as well?" Rachel asked curiously.

Naruto hesitated before handing her a golden drachma. "Now that you're aware of the truth, you may be in more danger than before. If a monster ever tries to attack you, just throw the drachma into a rainbow and say, ' _Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.'_ Then ask for me."

"Is this _real gold_?" Rachel stared at the drachma incredulously. "You have _real gold_ that you casually throw into a rainbow, but you're too cheap to buy a rental?"

"We're kind of pressed for time right now," Naruto admitted. "I need to go. See ya."

She sighed. "Bye."

XxX

Once again, Zoe drove. This time, Thalia didn't even have that many objections, only grumbling out a small "I look older than you." The car was surprisingly luxurious, with soft leather seats and a walnut-wood dash.

Percy and Bianca passed out almost immediately, clearly tired from the events of the day. Thalia sat in the shotgun seat, absently staring out the window, and Zoe looked as good as new.

Naruto, for his part, wasn't tired at all. His stamina seemed to have _grown_ ever since he was reborn. However. . .

Demigod dreams.

His last dream had been pretty useless. Hopefully, this one would provide a bit more information.

And so he closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him.

XxX

Naruto stared around at his surroundings. He was in a meeting room. The walls were painted black - no. The walls were made up of solid black crystal. Floating balls of light lined the wall, providing adequate lighting for Naruto to see everyone in the room.

There were four people all seated around a table. On one side, there was a man dressed formally in a black suit. He had multiple deep scars on his face, as if something had gouged out chunks in the past. On the other side, there was a woman dressed in silver. She looked pale and sickly. Another woman with green eyes and blonde hair wearing torch earrings. And a satyr that had several life-support machines hooked up to him.

Judging by how they were all emitting vast amounts of power, they were all gods, possibly even Titans.

Naruto mentally named them Silver, Suit, Torch, and Satyr.

"Good morning, everyone," Suit smiled at them kindly. "How are you all doing?"

"Get on with it," Torch said disinterestedly.

Suit politely inclined his head. "Very well. As I had said in the invitation, I am here to offer you all what you want."

Satyr bleated in excitement. "Mass genocide on humans?"

Suit hesitated. "Er, not quite. I'm sure you're all aware of the fact that Artemis has been captured."

Silver raised her eyebrows. "Of course we are. I hope we didn't come all the way here just for you to tell us what we already knew."

Suit nodded. "I would never do that. Tell me. . . what do you three know about _domains_? Specifically, the _transfer_ of domains?"

Silver laughed. "Is this a joke? You're asking _me_ about the transfer of domains?"

"Ah, of course, My Lady. I didn't mean it as an insult," Suit smiled apologetically. "As we all know, a divine being can lose their domain of power if another more powerful god takes over."

"Like what Apollo did to Helios," Torch spoke up. "Or what Artemis did to Eileithyia and Selene. Or what Athena did to Metis." Silver winced as Torch spoke.

"Precisely," Suit nodded. "I admit, even I do not know the entire specifics, however what I _do_ know is that I, along with the Titan Lord and Koios, have discovered a method to forcibly transfer a god's domain."

The three plus Naruto all tensed up. _Forcibly transfer a god's domain?!_

"How?" Satyr demanded.

Suit chuckled. "As we all know, when a god 'dies', they get sent to Tartarus. However, a lesser known fact is that for just a moment, their hold to their domains weakens. After all, as they enter the Pit, Tartarus unconsciously attempts to absorb the god's essence."

Torch's eyes widened. "What?"

Suit nodded. "Of course, Tartarus stops himself immediately - absorbing essence comes with more trouble than it's worth. However, for just a split second, as Tartarus attempts to absorb the god's essence and by extension their domains, the god's connection to their domains is weakened. Of course, this is negligible; the time frame is so short, it can be described as instantaneous and nobody can take advantage of the opening."

Satyr scoffed. "Oh, so we came all the way out here for nothing?" His life support machines beeped threateningly.

Suit smiled. "You forget one simple fact. Why worry about having too little time to act. . . when we have all the time in the world?"

There was a moment of silence as the statement sunk in. "Kronos," Torch breathed. The temperature in the room dropped by several degrees and the lights dimmed slightly at the name.

"Indeed," and Suit's polite smile became downright _predatory_. "The Titan Lord is capable of slowing time down to near a stop. If he does it when the god's connection to their domain is weakened, then it would be difficult but not impossible to sever the god from their domain."

Silver narrowed her eyes. "How?"

Suit chuckled. "I'm afraid the specifics are a secret, but rest assured: it would work. Koios, the Titan of farsight, has guaranteed it."

"Artemis has many domains. . ." Torch mused. "And you say we can take all of them?"

Suit shook his head. "No. Only three domains. However, we can choose." He smiled craftily. "And with you three, I can imagine which ones you desire. Moon," he pointed at Silver. "Wilderness," he pointed at Satyr. "And finally, forests," he pointed at Torch.

A gleam appeared in Satyr's eyes. "Oh? And return for giving us these domains, what do you want from us?"

Suit chuckled. "All I want is for you to pledge loyalty to the Titan Lord, of course. When he rises again, join and assist him."

Silver frowned. "Don't you mean _if_ he rises?"

Suit shook his head. "The Titan Lord's resurrection is assured. As the Titan of forethought, I can tell you that with an absolute certainty. He will rise again, and when he does, Olympus will be razed to the ground."

"What about the sky?" Torch inquired. "If you kill Artemis, then who will hold the sky?"

Suit laughed. "So many questions. We shall find a temporary placeholder until all four Titan Generals are resurrected and their might and presence alone prevents the sky from touching the earth." His eyes twinkled. "Or rather, _many_ temporary placeholders."

Satyr nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'll join. It's not as if I have anything better to do," he chuckled bitterly, gesturing at his life support machines.

Torch nodded. "While I personally do not care that much for the forests, I shall always accept increases to my power." She clenched her fists. "And if it means the _major_ Olympians suffer from it, then all the better."

Silver hesitated before a dark look appeared in her eyes. "I accept as well."

"Brilliant," Suit smiled, clapping his hands together. "Then we are in an accord. We shall dispatch Artemis on the Winter Solstice, the day where our power is the strongest, and transfer her domains to you three. And don't be late," he smiled cheerfully.

And that was when Percy shook Naruto awake.

XxX

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Artemis," he breathed.

Percy frowned. "Umm, yes. That is who we're rescuing."

"No, that's not what I mean," Naruto shook his head. "The situation is worse than we thought."

He quickly filled them in on the details of his dream. Zoe's face grew more and more stony as he spoke. "I see," she said when he finished. "That is not good. We'll have to hurry."

"Is it possible?" Thalia asked. "I mean, I've never heard of a god having their domains forcibly taken away from them before."

Zoe hesitated. "Normally, I would say that it's impossible. However, if both Koios, the Titan of intellect, knowledge, and forethought, and Promotheus, the Titan of forethought, agrees that it would work, then we cannot risk it." Her eyes flashed. "Furthermore, we can not allow Artemis to be sent to Tartarus."

Naruto nodded. "Let's hurry. Are we in San Francisco yet?"

Zoe shook her head. "No, the car ran out of gas. I believe we're still in Arizona."

Naruto bit his lip, thinking hard. "I don't think a car would be fast enough. Perhaps if we hijack an airplane - "

"That won't be necessary," a gruff voice cut in from behind them. Naruto's eyes widened. Just like before with Athena, he hadn't sensed the newcomer approach. They turned around to see five centaurs, all dressed in Hawaiin shirts, and Naruto saw several cans of root beer poking out of their satchel bags.

"What?!" Bianca yelped.

The lead centaur grinned. "Yo, what's up? Call me Alex. I'm the leader of the Arizona Chapter of the Party Ponies. I hear you guys needed a lift?"

"How did you know?" Thalia asked in bewilderment.

Percy suddenly chuckled. "Let me guess, Chiron?"

Alex pointed finger guns at Percy and grinned. "You got it. Locating you guys was kinda hard, but we got a small tip from this homeless dude named Fred."

Naruto smiled. _Thank you, Apollo._

"Come on, hop on," Alex said. "We don't have any time to waste."

Zoe leveled him with a suspicious stare. "And you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart?"

Alex grinned. "Naw, dude. Chiron promised us ten grand, half up front, half on completion. Do you have any idea how much beer and root beer that would buy? Enough to get us hammered for _days_."

" _Days?!"_ Percy muttered.

"They're centaurs. They have a high metabolism," Thalia muttered back.

Zoe sighed. "Very well. Let's go."

XxX

"Five minutes," Bianca breathed. "You just ran hundreds of miles. . . in just five minutes."

"We're awesome, aren't we?" A centaur named Joey grinned. "High five, girl."

Bianca hesitantly gave him a high five.

"Distance isn't the same for centaurs," Zoe explained as she got off of the centaur's back.

"Excuse me, but _what_?" Was Zoe implying what Naruto thought she was implying?

Zoe nodded. "Similar to pegasi, centaurs have the ability to distort space around them when they travel."

Okay, now that was flat-out _awesome_. Naruto wondered if he could also have that ability. He really hoped so.

"Alright, see ya dudes," Alex grinned. "And remember: if you guys ever want to party, just hit us up."

Percy watched them go with a small smile on his face. "Chiron's cousins are always cool."

The centaurs had dropped them off on the ferry docks, per Zoe's request. "We need to find Nereus," she announced. "If you see an old man who smells _nasty_ , then he's our guy."

"Nasty?" Percy asked.

"You'll see. Or rather, you'll _smell_."

XxX

"This is bad," Hestia said grimly.

Apollo nodded. "Aphrodite exposed Naruto. The other gods are starting to ask questions, and Athena already straight-up confronted him." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is exactly why I didn't want Naruto to leave."

"But you still let him leave," Hestia pointed out.

"Yeah, I did," Apollo admitted. "While he was running to Camp Half-Blood, it would've been very easy for me to stop him."

"Why didn't you?" Hestia asked curiously.

Apollo shrugged. "Artemis is my baby sister. When it comes to her, I only accept the best. And there is no doubt whatsoever that Naruto is the best. A mistake, in retrospect."

"You can't blame yourself. There was no way you could've known that Aphrodite would have detected his illusion."

Apollo sighed again. "Yeah, you're right. But I doubt Artemis would see it that way."

Hestia winced. "I would not want to be you when she gets freed."

"Same," Apollo agreed miserably. Then he brightened. "I like your optimism though."

"Hmm?"

"You said _when_ she gets freed. Not if. When."

Hestia smiled. "Of course. I believe that Naruto will succeed."

They were both silent for a moment.

"But for real though, if you ever need a place to hide from Artemis, feel free to just come to me."

" _Thank you_."


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto located Nereus almost immediately. It was impossible not to; Nereus smelled _nasty_. Like fish that was left rotting out in the sun for weeks. Next to garbage and refuse. Once Naruto had plugged his nose with a clever application of chakra (the same technique Kakashi-sensei used to prevent gas attacks from being effective), he quickly pointed Nereus out to the others.

"Are you sure?" Thalia squinted. "He doesn't look like a god. More like an old bum." And it was true. Nereus wore pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that looked like it wasn't washed in months. He was fat, with a yellowing beard.

More importantly. . .

"Santa Claus," Naruto muttered hatefully. "He looks like Santa Claus. Gods, I hated that man."

There was a moment of silence.

"Naruto?" Percy began tentatively. "Umm. . . you do know that Santa Claus doesn't exist, right?"

Naruto frowned. "Of course he exists. I've fought him multiple times before."

"You've fought Santa Claus?" Thalia stared at Naruto incredulously.

Naruto nodded. "He was difficult to defeat. Nearly as powerful as the Easter Bunny, but slightly weaker than the Tooth Fairy."

Bianca's eyes widened. "Wait, those are real too?"

Thalia shook her head. "No they're not. Don't listen to him. Naruto, where exactly did you fight, umm, Santa Claus?"

"On Christmas Eve," Naruto replied. "He would break into Apollo's mansion to do nefarious things, and I would fend him off. And every single time, he's escaped with his life intact." His eyes flashed. "I've only encountered the Easter Bunny once, but I will never forget it. His primary form of attack was throwing eggs."

"That's not too bad," Percy said.

"Eggs that exploded."

"Oh."

Naruto nodded grimly. "And the Tooth Fairy attempted to steal my teeth. I woke up to her on my face, pliers in her hand, ready to extract my molars. Fortunately, I was fast enough to land several blows on her, but I missed her wings so she was able to fly away and escape."

Thalia, Zoe, Bianca, and Percy stared at him.

"I have lived for several millennia," Zoe began, "But even I have never encountered such beings."

"But if the Greek gods are real, then what if Santa Claus and the others are real too?" Percy whispered, a hint of fear appearing in his eyes.

Thalia bit her lip. "No. There's no way. That's impossible."

Naruto suddenly broke out in a wide grin. "Nah, I'm just messing with you. They were all just transformed versions of Apollo. Which just made it infinitely more satisfying when my attacks connected."

They breathed sighs of relief.

"I can already barely handle Greek mythology," Percy grinned.

Thalia nodded in agreement. "How should we handle Nereus?"

"Jump him?" Percy suggested.

Naruto nodded. "I'm down. Let's do it."

"Wait," Bianca spoke up. "You mean. . . you're going to just attack that old man?"

Zoe turned to her, bemused. "Bianca, don't let his appearance fool you. He's a god."

"Oh. Right," Bianca responded sheepishly. "Almost forgot."

They approached Nereus, who was sitting at the end of the dock. The homeless people around them paid them no attention. A couple wearing rainbow shirts making out. A man with long hair trying to repair a guitar. A woman with a shopping cart filled with plastic flamingos. An old woman, nearly eighty years old, leaning on a cane, gazing out at the sea.

"Nereus," Zoe called.

Nereus's head whipped around. "Zoe Nightshade?" he said, confused. "You shouldn't be here. _Why are you here?!_ "

Zoe frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Nereus narrowed his eyes. "Don't tell me you're _that_ stupid. I know it's been centuries since we've last met each other, but _come on_. Did you honestly think that the Titan Lord wouldn't anticipate you coming to me for information?"

Oh. That wasn't good.

"Indeed," Thorn said in that heavy French accent of his, materializing out of nowhere. Immediately, Thalia's spear expanded, Percy uncapped his pen, Bianca and Zoe's bows appeared, and a kunai was in Naruto's hand. Thorn simply smiled. "We expected this from day one. You heroes are oh _so_ predictable. Oh, but before we do anything. . . Nereus, _scram_."

Nereus looked at Zoe sadly. "I'm sorry. But I must maintain my neutrality. Good luck." With that, he transformed into a goldfish and hopped into the sea.

"You are a fool, Thorn," Zoe growled. "Did you really think coming here alone was a good idea? Naruto already single-handedly drove you off last time."

Thorn smiled menacingly. "Who said I was alone?"

Naruto got that sinking feeling. The one you get when there are a dozen laser sights playing across your chest. They had been played.

Every homeless person that surrounded them drew a weapon. The eighty year old lady suddenly looked a lot more threatening with a semiautomatic pistol in her hand. The woman reached inside her shopping cart and pulled out a machine gun. Off in the distance, Naruto could distinctly see several snipers on boats.

He was a shinobi, and he hadn't expected this?

"You may be fast, kid, but even you aren't faster than a supersonic sniper round," Thorn called to Naruto. "You move even an inch and your friends will be filled with lead."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. "Was that a challenge? That sounded like a challenge to me."

Thorn smirked. " _Try me_."

Naruto met his gaze for a second before looking down, seemingly defeated. His legs trembled before he collapsed to his knees, his face downcast.

Thalia looked at him in concern. "Naruto! Are you okay?"

Thorn laughed. "Oh, the little boy finally understands the situation he's in. _Pathetic._ "

"Naruto, don't worry," Percy gripped his sword tightly. "We'll get out of here alive."

"It's funny you think that," Thorn gloated. "It'll be even more funny when I prove you wrong."

Down on the ground, Naruto blocked out the sound of their conversation. Personally, he thought that his acting was a tad bit too dramatic, but it appeared Thorn and even his friends were fooled. Naruto closed his eyes and began gathering natural energy. Fortunately, Thorn had already completely ignored him by now, and was gloating at Percy and Thalia. All according to Naruto's plan.

Feign weakness to get Thorn to drop his guard. Sure, it rankled Naruto's pride a little bit, but that was fine.

Naruto extended his senses - and froze. What the hell? Why were there so many types of natural energy? Back in the Elemental Nations, no matter where Naruto was, the natural energy all felt the same. But here. . . there were _countless_ types of natural energy.

But how was it possible? Unless - _there were gods in this world_ , Naruto realized. Natural energy is nothing but energy that exists in the world around them. Rocks, trees, the air, the earth itself contained natural energy. But in this world, gods were the living personifications of the natural forces of the world. Which meant. . .

Naruto's eyes widened. Natural energy was a _god's_ energy.

His theory was confirmed when he quickly identified a natural energy that felt like Artemis. It was identical, actually. The goddess of forests. And that wasn't it. He felt an energy, bright and potent, that felt like Apollo. The _sun's_ natural energy.

However, there was one form of natural energy that overshadowed the rest. Naruto shuddered. It felt as if it was slumbering, but even in its lethargic state, Naruto could clearly identify it as the strongest and most potent natural energy - the sheer power it exuded was frightening. But at the same time, Naruto sensed an immense hatred within it. At that moment, Naruto resolved to not even _touch_ it. He didn't know what it was; all he knew was that he needed to stay far away.

Naruto drew in the natural energy that felt like Artemis, gathering it and blending it with his own chakra to create senjutsu chakra.

 _Sage Mode_ \- _Artemis style!_

And he drew in a sharp breath as he finally felt _her_. Naruto grinned in relief and happiness. _Finally_. But first things first. . .

"And then the Titan Lord shall - " Thorn was cut off when the mortals around him collapsed, unconscious. On the boats, the snipers were knocked out as well. A moment later, there was a large BOOM as the sound of the sonic barrier being broken reached their ears.

"What?" Zoe murmured in confusion.

Naruto reappeared in front of them, a smirk on his face. "Challenge accepted and completed."

Thorn's eyes widened. " _What_ _in Hades_ \- URK!"

Naruto blinked as the water behind Thorn rose up and began strangling Thorn. "Yo Percy, we still need information from this guy. Ask questions first, break the Geneva Convention after."

"Oh right," Percy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as the water receded slightly, allowing Thorn to take shallow breaths filled with water. "I got kinda pissed."

"What was that?" Bianca's eyes were wide as she stared at Naruto. At that moment, she looked a lot like Nico. "One second you were on the ground and the next you were in front of us and all the mortal mercenaries were incapacitated!"

Naruto grinned. "Pretty cool, right?"

Bianca broke out into a smile. "Cool? At the risk of sounding like my little brother, it was _awesome!_ "

Zoe nodded, her eyes still slightly wide. "For once, I agree. I can see now why Apollo requested you to join this quest." She then turned to Thorn. "Speak, manticore. What is the monster Artemis was hunting?"

"I won't," Thorn choked out, "t-tell you anything."

Zoe shrugged. "Very well. Percy, how well-versed are you in the concept of _waterboarding_?"

A smile spread on Percy's face. "I like how you think."

"For you see, Thorn," Zoe strolled up to Thorn, staring directly into his mismatched eyes. "I am well aware that typical methods of torture do not work on monsters. If we mess up even a little bit, then you immediately disintegrate into dust. However, water is one of the few exceptions. With water, we can prolong your misery for _days_."

Thorn laughed. "You think I _fear_ you? Compared to the Titan Lord, you are noth - "

He was cut off when a black arrow suddenly sprouted out of his head. A moment later, Thorn screamed in agony before turning to dust. The black arrow fell to the ground with an ominous _clunk_.

Naruto whipped his head around. He hadn't sensed the arrow approaching. He was in Sage Mode, but he hadn't sensed it. How was that possible?

Percy immediately stomped his foot on the ground and a wall of water rose up, forming a barrier around them. "Where did the arrow come from?"

"I don't know!" Naruto extended his senses out but whoever the archer was, they must be already gone. Even though Naruto had a perfect awareness of his surroundings, unless his intuition alerts him, then Naruto wouldn't really focus on an area. It was like having the Byakugan: even though you could see _everything_ , you don't _focus_ on something unless something brings your attention to it.

In Naruto's case, his intuition typically did that for him. In a forest, his intuition would automatically alert Naruto of something out of the ordinary, with information automatically streaming into his mind. But for some strange reason, when the archer fired the arrow, Naruto's intuition had stayed silent. And Naruto had no idea why.

"Mist," Zoe said grimly. "The arrow was shrouded in an extremely powerful Mist which is why we didn't sense it."

Oh. That explains it.

Bianca knelt down to look at the arrow. "Why is it black?" she wondered as she reached out to pick it up.

"Don't touch it!" Zoe hissed in warning.

Bianca whipped her hand back, staring up at Zoe in shock. "What?"

"There are two types of divine metal," Zoe explained. "The first is Celestial Bronze. The second is Stygian Iron. Mined and forged in the Underworld, cooled in the River Styx, it is an extremely powerful and lethal metal."

Thalia frowned. "Really? I've never heard about Stygian Iron before."

Zoe nodded. "Lady Artemis told me about it. Unlike Celestial Bronze, which simply destroys a monster's physical body and returns their essence to Tartarus, with Stygian Iron, a monster's essence gets absorbed into the blade."

Thalia paled. "What?"

"Of course, the essence would return to Tartarus eventually, but it can lengthen the process by decades. It's for that reason that monsters universally hate Stygian Iron," Zoe eyed the arrow on the ground. "I reckon that Thorn won't be able to reform for several decades at the very least."

"If it's so powerful, then why don't we use it?" Bianca asked curiously.

"Because it's too dangerous," Zoe responded. "For demigods, if we accidentally cut ourself, then our life force would be quickly drained. It would be like fighting with a blade coated in a lethal poison - it's too risky. For gods, they don't like using Stygian Iron because it originated in the Underworld."

Naruto blinked. "That's it?"

Zoe shrugged. "Are you really surprised? Lord Hades was kicked out of Olympus because he was the god of the Underworld."

"Ah, right," Naruto nodded in understanding. "The gods don't really like anything Underworld-related. Makes sense that they would stay away from Stygian Iron."

"Precisely," Zoe confirmed. "After all, Stygian Iron doesn't really offer too many advantages over Celestial Bronze for gods. Gods don't care how long it takes for a monster to reform. Sure, Stygian Iron can harm mortals, but the gods can always just materialize a steel weapon."

"So there are no demigods that use Stygian Iron?" Bianca spoke up.

Zoe hesitated. "Not exactly. Children of Hades are capable of using Stygian Iron without harm - their life force exists in a peculiar state. To them, Stygian Iron acts like any regular metal."

Bianca bit her lip. "And is there a chance that I'm a daughter of Hades?"

Zoe's eyebrows rose. "No. The Big Three - that is, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades - swore an oath to not have any more children after World War 2."

Bianca didn't say anything, instead staring pointedly at Percy and Thalia.

"You have a point," Zoe conceded. "But what makes you think that you're Hades's daughter?"

Bianca was silent for a moment. "When we were in the Labyrinth," she began, "I felt. . . stronger. And I could sense everything around me. I can't really explain it, but you saw how I chose all the correct routes."

Zoe hesitated. "Yes, but - "

"And," Bianca continued, her voice growing stronger, "Right now, I can sense this arrow in front of me. Even if I shut my eyes, I can feel it. Hades is the god of precious metals, correct?"

Percy and Thalia exchanged glances.

"Look, Bianca," Percy said gently. "You don't _want_ to be a child of Hades. Being the children of the Big Three. . . it's dangerous. Extremely dangerous."

Thalia nodded in agreement. "And besides, I doubt Hades broke the oath. Because if he did, then that would mean that he's a _hypocrite_ \- " her eyes flashed dangerously - "for sending all those monsters after me because I was a daughter of Zeus."

Bianca shook her head. "Guys, I know it seems strange, but the thought of me being Hades's daughter just feels. . . right. And there's a way to test it, right?"

And, before they could stop her, Bianca reached out, grabbed the arrow and cut her finger with it. Or in Naruto's case, he didn't stop her because he also thought that she was the daughter of Hades. Perhaps it was a bit reckless, but then again Naruto didn't exactly have the best regard for safety when it comes to training. Must've come from when Jiraiya threw him off the cliff. "See?" Bianca showed them the cut. It was bleeding slightly but other than that there were no adverse effects. "I'm fine."

A moment of shocked silence as the other demigods - minus Naruto - took it in.

"I stand corrected," Zoe said, stunned. "You _are_ a daughter of Hades."

"No way," Percy breathed.

Thalia's hands balled up into fists. "Which means, Hades sent those monsters after me because Zeus broke his oath - _even though Hades himself also broke the oath_. That _damned hypocritical - "_

The ground underneath them rumbled threateningly.

"Shut it!" Thalia snapped angrily at the ground. "You and both know that I'm telling the truth."

"Err, before you declare war on Hades," Percy spoke up, "Naruto, Zoe, do you think it's safe to stop maintaining this barrier?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Naruto said. "The archer is gone." In fact, the archer had probably left the second he fired the arrow, because when Naruto had extended his senses, he hadn't sensed _anyone_. He still had no idea how that happened.

Percy nodded and snapped his fingers. A second later, the barrier of water around them retreated back into the sea.

"My father is Hades," Bianca said in wonder. "I. . . whoa. Wait, the ground rumbling meant that Hades heard you, right?"

Thalia nodded.

Bianca brightened. "Dad? Can you hear me right now?"

The ground grew suspiciously quiet.

"He can't interact with you," Thalia sighed. "Gods are forbidden by the Ancient Laws from interacting with their children other than special circumstances." Then her eyes narrowed. "I still can't _believe_ you, Lord Hades. With all due respect: you _suck_."

Percy, Zoe, and Naruto tensed up, preparing for Hades to appear and pummel Thalia. But apparently, the god of the dead had some self-control, and so the only thing that occurred was a minor earthquake.

"Getting back on topic," Percy squinted at the sea once the ground underneath them stopped shaking. "Any chance that Nereus would come back?"

Zoe scoffed. "Knowing him, he's probably somewhere in Washington by now."

Naruto exited Sage Mode (wasn't much of a point in staying in it) and under his Henge, his eyes returned to normal. He idly wondered if the color of his eyes would be affected by using the natural energy of Artemis. Ehh, it's not like he can drop the Henge and see.

"What should we do next?" Bianca spoke up.

"Oh, that's simple," Naruto answered. "We mount a full-on frontal attack on that mountain over there." He pointed to a large mountain off in the distance that rose above the cloud layer.

Zoe frowned. "The Mountain of Despair? Why there?"

"Because that's where Artemis is," Naruto replied simply. His intuition may not have warned him of the archer firing the arrow, but the second he had entered Sage Mode, his intuition practically _exploded_ at him. He had sensed Artemis up there immediately. "Let's go save Artemis."

"Wait, how do you know?" Thalia squinted at the mountain.

"I have a thing called Sage Mode," Naruto explained. "Whenever I enter Sage Mode, my senses increase exponentially. I sensed her on that mountain."

No, not just that. In regular Sage Mode, Naruto just gained heightened senses, especially towards chakra. However, in Sage Mode - Artemis Style, it was as if Naruto was in a _forest_. An intuition that approached the level of divination. Godlike senses. Naruto would have to experiment with it later.

"You can sense gods?" Zoe asked incredulously.

Naruto nodded. "In Sage Mode, yeah." Unless they're shrouded in Mist. Naruto _really_ had to master seeing through the Mist. He was halfway decent, but nowhere as good as he should be.

It appeared that no matter what world he was in, illusions would always be his weak point.

"Mountain of Despair?" Bianca spoke up. "Why do they call it that?"

Zoe looked grim. "Mount Othrys was the mountain on which the Titan palace was located. After the war between the Titan War, Kronos's right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there in the ruins of the palace, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides."

"The general. . . Atlas," Naruto surmised. "Atlas is imprisoned up there, where he holds up the sky." He paused as a thought struck him. "But Artemis is there too. . . Zoe, what are the odds that Atlas used Annabeth to force Artemis to bear the weight of the sky?"

"Umm," Percy raised his hand. "I had a dream a few days ago where it looked like Artemis was holding up a roof of a really tall building. But in retrospect, she might actually be holding up the sky."

That _bastard._ Atlas was going to. . . not die, but at least get beaten up really badly before getting shoved under the sky once more.

"It's useless," Zoe clenched her fists tightly. "The only way to get to the summit of the mountain is to get past the Garden of the Hesperides," Zoe scowled slightly as she said the name. "And we can only enter the Garden of the Hesperides at twilight."

Naruto blinked. "What kind of stupid rule is that? We'll just defeat anyone who tries to stop us."

Zoe shook her head. "No, you don't understand. It is impossible for anyone to enter the Garden when it isn't twilight because it doesn't exist in this reality."

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It exists in its own sub-dimension," Zoe explained. "Just like Olympus or the Underworld." At everyone's confused looks, Zoe sighed. "Look, Olympus is a huge city on top of the Empire State Building, right?"

Thalia nodded. "Yeah, it is."

"Have you ever wondered how no airplane has ever accidentally hit it before?" Zoe asked. "It's because they _can't_. Just like how mortals can't accidentally fall into the Underworld if they drill too deep. There are different planes of reality in this world. Pocket realms, so to speak. And the Garden of the Hesperides is one such realm."

Naruto nodded slowly. Essentially, this dimension had sub-dimensions, like Tartarus, Olympus, the Underworld, and various others. They were all connected. This actually explained a lot of things. After all, Chaos exists beneath Tartarus which exists beneath the Underworld which exists beneath the Earth, but Naruto knew for a fact that the primordial void did not exist in the center of the Earth.

However, unlike his old dimension, the realms of this world are all interconnected with numerous openings, whereas the dimensions of his old world were closed off and separated. For example, to get to Obito's dimension, you had to use the Kamui. That was the only possible way of entry. In this world, however, there were multiple entrances to the Underworld, and anyone could use them (with some exceptions).

An apt analogy would be using cakes. His old world was like a layer cake, in which the dimensions were clearly separated. Closed dimensions. This world, however, was like a marble cake, in which every dimension was blended in together, resulting in one big dimension with multiple openings and gateways so traveling from realm to realm is extremely simple.

Instead of being a planar reality, this world had multiple interconnected layers of reality. In other words, it was confusing as _hell_.

Naruto doubted even he could break through if that was the case. He had never figured out how to break out of Obito's pocket dimension without the Kamui. However, he still had to try. Perhaps his chakra, a foreign entity in this dimension, would be capable of breaking through into the Garden of the Hesperides. He hoped. He still didn't understand the full extent of his newfound power.

"The only time the Garden manifests in this reality is during twilight," Zoe continued. "At any other time, you must be a god to enter the Garden."

Naruto tilted his head. "I don't recall it being like this back in the Titan war."

"You're right," Zoe nodded. "The gods lifted the summit of Mount Othrys out of the normal reality after the war and tied it to the Garden, which already existed in a state of perpetual twilight, because the summit literally became the roof of the world. It was to make it harder for heroes to get through to the summit." She looked away. "Unfortunately, one foolish hero got through."

"Heracles," Percy said.

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Yes. _Him_."

Percy shot Zoe a knowing glance but didn't speak further.

"It would be a waste of time to go there right now," Zoe began walking back to the buildings. "Instead, we should search for the monster Artemis was hunting."

Oh.

"This. . . is awkward," Naruto began sheepishly. They turned to him.

"What is it?" Bianca asked.

"Well, you see. . . I'm a clone."

They stared.

"Boss already ditched after he took care of the mortal mercenaries. He's probably already at Mount Othrys, trying to get into the Garden."

Thalia blinked. "Wait. . ."

The shadow clone nodded. "He had thought that you would head for the Gardens immediately after you finished taking care of Thorn, so he went on ahead. But don't worry," he added hastily. "He left some backup. DUDE!"

A moment later, another shadow clone appeared in a blur. "Yeah?"

"I gotta dispel to send information back to Boss," the shadow clone said. "They're - " he gestured at the demigods " - gonna look for the monsters. Can you help them?"

The other shadow clone nodded. "Of course."

"Alright. I'll leave it up to you." And the first shadow clone dispelled.

The other shadow clone looked at the demigods. "So. . . the monster?"

Zoe shook her head bemusedly. "That is an extremely useful ability. At any rate, with Nereus gone. . . I doubt we'll acquire any more intel."

"Then how should we find out what the monster was?" Bianca frowned. "I mean, it's not like the monster is just going to casually walk up to us, right?"

"MOOOO!" _Yo Percy what the hell man? You can't just leave me behind like that!_

Thalia gasped. "Impossible!"

"Bessie!" Percy cried happily as a cow serpent swam up to them. It had the upper body of a calf and the lower body of a snake. "How are you doing?"

Thalia stared at Bianca with awe and reverence in her eyes. "Do you realize what you just did?!"

Bianca drew back. "Umm, no?"

"You just employed a _perfect_ reverse jinx," Thalia breathed. "How did you even do that? Even _I_ can't do it perfectly yet."

"Beginner's luck?" Zoe suggested.

Thalia nodded. "Probably."

"Reverse jinx?" Bianca asked confusedly.

"The reverse jinx technique is when you jinx yourself for your own benefit," Zoe explained. "It's extremely rare with a high chance of backfiring on you. But it appears to have worked this time. Great job, Bianca."

"Oh. Thanks?"

"What are you talking about?" Percy frowned from where he was kneeling on the water, patting the cow serpent's head like a dog. "Bessie isn't the monster."

"MOOOO!" _Excuse me?! Are you or are you not the son of Poseidon? How can you not tell that I'm a GUY?! And for the last time, my name's not Bessie; it's the Ophiotaurus! Dear gods, how thick are you?_

"Err, he says his name isn't Bessie. It's the Ophiotaurus," Naruto translated. "And he's a guy."

Percy blinked. "You can understand him?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

"Huh. Neat." And Percy went back to patting the Ophiotaurus's head.

"Ophiotaurus," Zoe mused. "Where have I heard that name before - " Her eyes went wide with shock and fear. "Oh no."

Percy looked at her. "What's wrong?"

This is the monster Artemis was hunting," Zoe breathed. "My father told me this tale thousands of years ago. Whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods.

"MOOOOO!" _Hey girl we don't mention the S-word around here! It's a trigger word! Come on, show some tact!_

"The Ophiotaurus doesn't like the S-word," Naruto dutifully translated.

Thalia stared at the cow serpent with wonder. "The power to destroy the gods? How?"

"No one knows," Zoe answered. "In the first Titan war, the Ophiotaurus was slain but Zeus sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be tossed into the fire. I believe it was rank 4 on the Top 10 close calls in the Titan war."

"What was rank 1?" Bianca inquired.

Zoe's gaze darkened. "It was when the General almost single-handedly defeated all six gods. They only survived because the mountain spirits committed suicide and collapsed the mountain they were fighting on, causing Atlas to lose his balance temporarily so the gods were able to escape."

"MOOOO!" _Hey, I deserve to be rank 2 at the very least! Give me the respect I deserve, damn it!_

Thalia stretched out her hand. The cow serpent went right to her like a small puppy. Thalia placed her hand on his head, patting it distractedly. But the look in her eyes. . . it bothered Naruto. It was the same hungry look Sasuke always got whenever he was offered the prospect of more power.

"Thalia?" Naruto began cautiously.

"The power to overthrow Olympus," Thalia muttered. "That's huge."

"MOOO?" _Not gonna lie, you're kinda freaking me out, girl. Mind not looking at me the same way you would look at a juicy cheeseburger?_

Zoe shook her head. "We cannot sacrifice it, Thalia. Power gained by killing the innocent. . . I do not know the effect it will have on you, but it surely will not be good."

"But. . . can you imagine - "

Naruto laid his hand on Thalia's shoulder. "Thalia," he said gently. "There are many paths in becoming strong. This is not one of them."

Zoe nodded. "Indeed. I have seen better heroes than you perish because of their desire for power. Do not make the same mistake they had."

Thalia hesitated, but the look in her eyes was slowly fading away. "You're right guys," she rubbed her forehead. "I don't know what came over me there." She smiled down at the Ophiotaurus. "Don't worry. I won't sacrifice your entrails to fire."

"MOOOOOO!" _What did I say about the S-word?! Do you_ want _me to have another episode? I'm not lying when I say it's a trigger word!_

"What should we do with it though?" Bianca frowned. "I mean, as long as it's alive, then there's always the possibility that the Titans can capture him. And then it would be all over."

"Sea creature," Percy mused. "I wonder. . . be right back, guys." And then he jumped into the water, disappearing beneath the surface.

They looked at each other.

"So what do we call you?" Bianca asked Naruto.

Naruto shrugged. "Naruto, I guess. I'm a shadow clone, but I still retain Boss's personality."

Bianca nodded. "Do you feel it when you die?"

Naruto shook his head. "No. It's an odd sensation, one that I can't really describe. But it doesn't hurt or anything."

"And when you dispel, you send memories back to the original Naruto, correct?" Zoe asked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

They fell into a silence, staring into the water and waiting for Percy's return.

"Have any of you met Hades?" Bianca asked suddenly.

Thalia and Naruto shook their heads. Zoe hesitated before nodding. "I have. I've met him several times before."

"What was he like?" Bianca asked curiously.

Zoe was silent for a moment. "Bitter," she finally said. "Bitter, yet honorable. Hades had been cast out of Olympus. His family despised and feared him. But at the same time, Hades didn't let his anger and sadness get to him - much. He still performed his duties diligently. He judged the dead fairly. And he was one of the few gods who never tried to flirt with the Hunters."

"But then why didn't he ever talk to us?" Bianca pressed on. "I mean, I get that face-to-face interaction might break the Ancient Laws. But why didn't he at least leave a small note? To let us know that he was there, and he cared?" She looked away. "My entire life, I thought the only family I had was Nico. And to know that my father was there all along, and he was one of the most powerful gods, a Big Three. . ."

Zoe sighed before stepping close and pulling Bianca into a hug. Bianca's eyes widened. "Your father cares about you, Bianca," Zoe said gently. "Trust me: the gods aren't exactly the best at showing their affection. Rather terrible, actually. But that doesn't mean that they don't care."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "The Ancient Laws prevent the gods from doing many things." He should know; he lived with Apollo, after all.

"But they're gods," Thalia suddenly spoke up, a hint of anger in her tone. "You think the Ancient Laws really matter? You see gods breaking oaths sworn on the River Styx itself all the time. Percy, Bianca and I are living proof of that. So if they're capable of casually breaking the most serious oath you can make, then what's stopping them from just visiting their children?"

"The Ancient Laws are different from an oath sworn on the Styx," Naruto explained. "The laws were agreed upon by the Council, and Zeus himself enforces the laws. And he does punish the gods who break the Ancient Laws. It's one of his divine duties as the King of Olympus. Breaking the Ancient Laws isn't something to be done lightly."

Zoe nodded, stepping back from Bianca. "It is risky. In fact, if Zeus found out that Apollo had helped us, then he'll probably punish Apollo. Maybe. I don't know for sure; Zeus has a soft spot for Artemis, and Apollo helped us to help Artemis."

Thalia shook her head. "You're just fooling yourselves. The both of you. The gods don't care. The only time they show up is when their children are dying. And then all they do is turn them into a tree, or something equally useless. Luke may have been wrong about many things, but he was right about this. The gods. Don't. _Care_."

"You're wrong," Naruto said simply.

Thalia raised her eyebrows. "Oh? And how do you know?"

"I can't speak for Zeus, or the other gods," Naruto admitted. "But I _can_ speak for Apollo." He stared into Thalia's electric-blue eyes. "Every time his children are doing something, he tries to be there. Musical recitals. Concerts. Art galleries. Basketball games. I cannot tell you _how_ many times he randomly burst into a song - or gods forbid, a poem - about one of his children's achievements."

Thalia's eyes widened.

"And you know what?" Naruto spread his arms. "He's there for his children, even if they don't know it. Even with the Ancient Laws restraining his actions, he still does everything he can to be a good dad."

There was a moment of absolute silence.

"I. . . never knew that about Apollo," Zoe said, stunned.

Thalia nodded slowly. "I mean. . . _wow_. He really does all that?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup." He suddenly smiled as he caught sight of something. "And Bianca, you know how I know that Hades truly does care for you?"

"How?" Bianca asked.

Naruto grinned. "Look behind you."

They turned around and their eyes grew wide. There was a small crack in the concrete ground. And in the middle of the crack stood a beautiful quiver full of arrows with solid black arrowheads. Stygian Iron arrows.

Bianca ran towards it, shocked. "Dad? Is this. . . from you?"

"There's a note," Zoe pointed out.

Sure enough, attached to the quiver was a small slip of paper. Bianca read it, then smiled uncertainly. "Umm. . . I guess you're right, Naruto?"

Naruto tilted his head. "What did it say?"

She handed him the note. Zoe and Thalia stood next to him to read it. In a really bad handwriting, it read:

_I'm proud of you, daughter._

"Coming from Hades, this is practically him saying 'I love you'," Zoe breathed.

Bianca's uncertain smile melted into a joyful one. "Really?"

Zoe nodded. "Yeah."

Next to Naruto, Thalia had stiffened up angrily. Then, without saying a word, she walked back to the Ophiotaurus, who was still in the water, swimming in circles. She knelt down, the Ophiotaurus swimming back to her, and began patting the Ophiotaurus on the head once more.

Bianca looked at her in concern. "Did I do something?" she whispered.

Naruto paused. "I don't know her that well. Zoe?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. We may have to ask Percy."

As if on cue, Percy burst out of the water like he was shot out from a cannon. He landed on the surface of the water. "Hey guys, good news," he said happily. "Dad agreed to help us out. He'll keep the Ophiotaurus safe in his palace. Bessi - Ophiotaurus, isn't that great?"

"MOOOO!" _The Sea God? Yeah, I can get behind that. Where's my entourage?_

A moment later, a whirlpool formed around the Ophiotaurus, dragging him away.

"MOOOO!" _Is this supposed to happen?_

The whirlpool collapsed into itself, there was a flash of green-blue light, and when the water settled, the Ophiotaurus was gone.

Percy grinned. "You won't believe how the negotiations with Dad went - " he finally _looked_ at them properly and saw their faces. An angry, _hurt_ gaze on Thalia. A confused look on Bianca. Identical expressions of calm on Zoe and Naruto that covered up a slight bit of panic. "Oh. What did I miss?"

"You talked to your dad, huh?" Thalia spoke up bitterly. "Let me guess: he said that he was proud of you?"

Percy blinked. "Actually, yeah. He said that I got moxy. I don't really know what that meant though." He shrugged. "How did you know?"

Thalia laughed - a broken, harsh sound. "I see. Luke and I were wrong. It's not that the gods don't care about their children. It's just that _our_ parents don't care."

She stood up and began walking back. "Come on, let's go save Lady Artemis."

Percy stared at her, confused, before looking at the others. "What happened?" he whispered tensely. "Hey, Bianca, where did you get that quiver full of arrows from?"

"Dad," she responded. "He also left a note." She showed Percy the slip of paper.

Percy's eyes grew wide. " _No way_ ," he breathed. " _Hades_ wrote this? This is practically an 'I love you' with three exclamation marks for him!" His gaze darkened. "I can see why Thalia would be hurt by this."

At the other's confused looks, he sighed. "Look at it from Thalia's perspective. From what Annabeth's told me, Thalia prayed to Zeus almost every night when she was on the run with Luke and Annabeth. But Zeus never answered her. He barely showed any acknowledgement that she was even alive. But now that she's seeing Poseidon and even _Hades_ sending their children gifts and encouraging messages and generally being halfway decent parents. . ." he trailed off. "I'll go talk to her."

Percy jogged on ahead.

"Being a demigod is hard, isn't it?" Bianca said as they watched Percy start whispering to Thalia.

Zoe nodded. "It is. But don't worry. As a Hunter of Artemis, you don't have to worry about any of that." She smiled. "After all, we're family now. And family takes care of each other."

"I know I'll be fine," Bianca whispered, "But what about Nico?"

XxX

Nico di Angelo was having the time of his life.

He found out he was a demigod, which was _so_ cool! One of his parents was a god. An actual Greek god. And he made _friends_! The kids at Westover Hall had all thought he was weird and uncool, but the demigods at Camp Half-Blood were actually friendly and accepting. And not only that, but he had played Capture the Flag with _live_ weapons!

And now, Beckendorf, the son of Hephaestus, was fitting him out for _custom armor!_

"Now see, I make it a general policy to never get the measurement of guys," Beckendorf spoke as he jotted down some notes. A small robot - an automaton - extended its limb and a laser beam hit Nico. Nico watched it interestedly as the red dot traced down his arm. "Unfortunately, when I craft custom armor, I kind of have to."

The laser beam shut off and some numbers flashed onto the automaton's display.

"So here's the deal," Beckendorf continued. "After I'm done, I destroy all the notes I made of your measurements. In return, you never mention the fact that I measured you. Especially to the girls. _Especially_ to Silena. Deal?"

Nico nodded happily. He didn't really understand how the automaton worked, but apparently it was able to take measurements using a _laser_.

"Alright. What did you want again?" Beckendorf pulled out a screwdriver and a few metal trinkets that Nico didn't know the name of.

"Hmm. . ." Nico's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Hey, you said you would make me ten sets of armor, right?"

Beckendorf crossed his arms. "I can either make you ten sets, or I can make you a single set of armor with _everything you could possibly ever wish for_ all crammed into it. And I'll even repair it for you if it gets broken."

"One set of armor is fine," Nico said immediately. He didn't really want to trouble Beckendorf to make him ten sets of armor. Even though Nico could wear a different set of armor for each day of the week if he had ten sets. . .

Besides, Nico understood the importance of quality over quantity. It didn't matter how many dryads you had in your deck; against a single god, they would all be toast.

Beckendorf nodded approvingly. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Make it black," Nico suggested. "With orange designs on it." The same colors as Naruto.

Beckendorf rolled his eyes. "Aesthetics are for last. Let's focus on the important bits first. How about this. I'll name off some features, and you tell me if you want it or not."

"Okay."

"Hmm. . . what's your fighting style?"

Nico blinked. "Uhh. . ."

"You're pretty small," Beckendorf mused. "Anything too heavy would only weigh you down. I doubt you can get into the tanky fighting style that the Ares cabin favors, so the armor would have to be pretty lightweight." He began scribbling on a piece of paper. "How flexible are you, Nico?"

"What? I can touch my toes, I guess? What does that matter?"

"I know campers who integrate acrobatics and whatnot into their fighting style," Beckendorf explained. "For those campers, I have to use an extremely flexible material for their armor. After all, you can't exactly do a back arch if you have a thick metal chestplate on."

Nico's eyes widened in comprehension. "Ooohhh. I. . . I don't really have a fighting style yet," he confessed. "But I want to learn Naruto's."

Beckendorf's eyebrows rose in interest. "Naruto?" He crossed out the rudimentary drawing on the paper. "If you're going to fight like Naruto, then traditional armor is not the one for you. In fact. . . I think I'll use my Hunters of Artemis armor blueprints."

"Hunters of Artemis armor blueprints?"

"Theoretical drafts I had created a few years back," Beckendorf clarified. "I brainstormed some armor ideas that would preserve speed, agility, and maneuverability while also providing adequate protection. How does that sound?"

Nico nodded slowly. "Would it allow me to fight like Naruto?"

Beckendorf scratched his head. "I've never seen Naruto actually _fight_ before. However, I _do_ know that Naruto doesn't like to wear armor - I overheard bits of his conversation before Capture the Flag - so I'm willing to bet that his fighting style hinges on not having anything weigh him down. The armor I have in mind for you would do just that."

"Sure, why not?" Nico shrugged.

"Alright. Now I just need you to sign a few forms to release me and Camp Half-Blood from all responsibility. . ."

XxX

"This. Is. _Awesome_ ," Nico breathed.

Beckendorf grinned. "Pretty cool, right?"

Nico admired the armor - although _armor_ was a bit of a misnomer. It was as flexible as silk, and it was all black with some orange designs. If Nico didn't know any better, he'd think that it was just a normal sweater and pants.

"I wove Celestial Bronze threads - extremely rare and expensive, by the way - into silk. It's not that strong, but it will stop all piercing and slashing attacks. Of course, you'll still bruise heavily if someone stabs you with a spear, but at least you won't have a hole in your stomach."

"Why don't all demigods use something like this?" Nico asked as he quickly put it on.

Beckendorf shrugged. "Celestial Bronze armor absorbs force better. All the Celestial Bronze threads does is prevent anything from piercing through; it doesn't negate the impact."

"Huh. So which is better?"

Beckendorf shrugged again. "It depends on the user. For you, I would personally say Celestial Bronze threads, simply because normal armor would just weight you down. Not to mention how you said you wanted to fight like Naruto, who doesn't use armor."

Finished donning his armor, Nico looked down at himself. The material was cool and lightweight - not heavy and sagging like the armor he had worn the other night. And it fit him perfectly, adhering to his skin effortlessly. "Hey Beckendorf, you got a knife?"

"Yup."

Beckendorf handed Nico a knife. Nico took a deep breath in preparation. Beckedorf's eyes flashed with alarm. "Wait, what are you going to - "

Then Nico stabbed himself in the stomach as hard as he could. It _hurt_ , like it had when one of the kids at Westover Hall punched him in the stomach. However. . . Nico looked down. The knife didn't pierce through. The armor didn't even look scratched.

Nico grinned through the pain. "Thank you so much, Beckendorf!"

Beckendorf blinked slowly, as if he wasn't comprehending what Nico had just done. Then he said, almost mechanically, "Don't mention it. Seriously, don't. To _anyone_."

XxX

With his new armor, Nico felt almost invincible. Sure, he knew that realistically, every camper here could still beat him up, but still. At least he wouldn't be beat up _that_ badly.

He wondered how Bianca was doing on the quest. What if she - Nico dismissed those thoughts immediately. Both Naruto and Percy had promised to protect Bianca. And even though he didn't really like Zoe, Nico admitted that she was pretty strong too. Thalia too.

In fact, the entire quest was _stacked_. Two children of the Big Three, the lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis, and Naruto. It was like having the cards of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, _and_ Kronos. The team was overpowered.

Bianca was fine.

Speaking of the Hunters of Artemis. . . they were currently out in the forest, doing Hunter things. Chiron had forbade all the campers from entering the forest, but that didn't stop Travis and Connor from sneaking in. After they had regained consciousness in the infirmary, they revealed that the Hunters were training extremely hard. Sparring, target practice, and other training stuff. . . clearly, the incident with Artemis being captured had inspired them all to grow stronger so that they could defend their mistress from future dangers.

Or at least, that's what Chiron had theorised. Maybe the Hunters were all just really violent or stuff.

At any rate, Nico had to ask the Hunters something. He knew that he would be disobeying Chiron, but oh well. Chiron didn't scare him. Compared to Bianca, Chiron was nothing.

He waited until he was certain that no one was watching before slipping into the forest. He still had the small bronze knife Beckendorf had given him. He gripped it tightly, his eyes darting around. If a monster came, then he should be fine. He had his new custom armor.

Fortunately, no monster appeared, and Nico safely made his way over to where the Hunters were training. He crouched in the shadows of a tree, mentally rehearsing what he was going to ask.

Nico wanted to find out what the Hunters of Artemis's visitation policy was. He knew the Hunters of Artemis didn't allow boys to travel with them, but was he allowed to visit on the holidays? Would Bianca be allowed to visit him?

He gritted his teeth unconsciously. The Hunters of Artemis stole Bianca from him. She was _his_ sister. She was supposed to be there for him. She was his _family_. But she left him for those. . . those _sister-stealing. . ._ girls. (Nico really needed to learn some cuss words). And now, Nico is forced to find out the visitation policy for visiting his _own sister_.

Needless to say, Nico didn't like the Hunters of Artemis very much. However, as he watched them train, he admitted that it would be pretty cool to be a Hunter. Immortality, increased speed and agility, everyone accepting you for who you are. . . it was a good package. If only they didn't ban boys.

There were only nine Hunters, but it was as if there were double that because of how _fast_ they were moving. Nico watched in awe as one of them performed a backflip while firing three arrows. The arrows streaked forward and slammed into the center of the makeshift targets they had set up. Whoa - Nico abruptly shook his head.

No. The Hunters of Artemis are bad. They took Bianca away from him. They didn't like him because he's a boy. Well, that's fine. Nico didn't like them either.

Nico took a deep breath, put on his serious face, then walked forward - and froze when an unholy sound hit him. Fear and terror took over Nico's mind as primal instincts told him to _RUN_. He staggered backwards but his muscles refused to obey. He was afraid. He was going to die. He was going to die. _He was going to die_ -

"Oh man. Haven't done that in a while," a satyr materialized into existence in the middle of the Hunters. The Hunters, however, didn't react. Having been right next to the source of the sound, they were all frozen. A Hunter who was in the middle of a complex set of acrobatics crashed to the ground. She didn't even blink.

A woman materialized as well. She had torch earrings on. "I have to say, this was easier than I had expected. All it took was some _panic_ from you to destabilize their mentals, and then I just used the Mist to incapacitate them entirely." She smiled as she walked up to the nearest Hunter, touching her cheek. The Hunter didn't react at all.

The satyr chuckled. Nico noticed that the satyr had multiple machines hooked up to him. The machines you see in hospitals. "Ah, Hecate. You scare even _me_ sometimes. What did you do to them?"

Hecate shrugged. "Currently, they all think that they're still training and that everything is normal." She smirked. "So much for the Hunters of Artemis. Taken out by two _minor_ gods."

"I mean, we _were_ shrouded in six layers of Mist," the satyr shrugged. "And it's not as if they had any reason to suspect an attack in the middle of Camp Half-Blood."

Hecate chuckled. "Fair enough."

The satyr looked around despondently. "You know, there are a lot of satyrs at this camp still looking for me. Pan, the God of the Wild. I wonder how they'll react when they see how far I've fallen," he muttered bitterly.

"It's the Olympians' fault," Hecate consoled. "If they truly wanted to, then they could've easily prevented you from fading. But they don't care. After all, you're just a minor god. To them, you're disposable."

Pan sighed. "I don't know. It just feels like I'm letting all the satyrs down." He gazed at his life support machines for a second. "Whatever. Let's go."

Hecate nodded, snapping her fingers. The Hunters all stiffened before they began marching in unison, an illusion compelling their minds to move. "I have to say, it's a rather ingenious plan. Artemis isn't here to protect them. Not only are we eliminating enemies, but it also has the added bonus of providing nine demigods to hold up the sky in rotating intervals."

"I can see why they call Kronos the Crooked One," Pan began walking and his life support machines floated alongside him. "While everyone's busy freaking out about Artemis, Kronos is already twenty steps ahead. The Hunters of Artemis are powerful, and removing them this early on would greatly increase the Titan Lord's odds of victory."

"Indeed." They began leaving, the Hunters walking like zombies behind them.

Nico was still frozen, partly out of fear, partly out of shock at what he just heard. Artemis being captured was a distraction to get rid of the Hunters of Artemis. And Nico is the only one who knows. What should he do? Go after them? No, there's no way that he would win in a fight. They were _gods_ , and he was new.

Should he go back into Camp and get help? No, that would be too slow. By the time they believed him and got here, the Hunters would be long gone.

_What would Naruto do?_

Go after the Hunters and save them. The answer arrived in Nico's mind all at once. Naruto wouldn't wait around; he would go after them, beat up the two gods, then rescue the Hunters.

Could Nico do it?

Perhaps not. But he still had to try.

And so Nico finally broke free of the fear rooting him down and began sprinting after the Hunters. He had no plan. He had no experience. He had no backup. And he was about to fight against two gods. All he had were sheer guts and will and the desire to be like Naruto and Percy.

Bianca was going to kill him.

XxX

Naruto sprinted around impatiently. Where the hell was the Garden?

The moment he had entered Sage Mode, he had sensed Artemis immediately. He had quickly knocked out the mortal mercenaries, left several shadow clones behind, then immediately went on ahead to the mountain. He had thought it would be simple enough: get up to the top, defeat anyone and everyone who got in his way, then free Artemis.

But it wasn't that simple. When he had arrived, there was nothing. At the top of the mountain, there were only trees and rocks and stuff. No Artemis. Nothing.

And then one of his shadow clones had dispelled, sending him the information that apparently you could only get to the summit through the Garden of the Hesperides. Which only appeared at twilight. And it existed in its own realm.

What the hell.

Naruto resorted to just walking around and randomly attacking the air with a Rasengan, hoping to break past the fabrics of reality. It didn't seem to be working, sadly.

He knew that the gods could arrive in the Garden of the Hesperides whenever they wanted, so there _must_ be a secret entrance. Or maybe they just teleported? That must be it. The gods simply teleported into the Garden of the Hesperides whenever they wanted.

Whatever the case, Naruto was for sure not going to wait until twilight. Artemis was _right_ there. Naruto could _sense_ her. But he couldn't reach her. It was extremely vexing.

Both the Garden and the apex of Mount Othrys were lifted out of this dimension and existed in their own realms. And the only way to enter was during twilight.

Naruto didn't know how to travel through dimensions. He didn't have the Kamui or the Rinnegan. He could theoretically throw something together with seals, but that would take way too long. There _had_ to be a way to bypass this obstacle. Some jutsu -

Wait.

Perhaps the solution didn't lie in trying to brute force his way through with chakra but rather trying to get around it within the rules of this world. Instead of wasting the time to figure out a hack or a cheat, Naruto should just find a loophole or an exception like he always did.

He had lectured Obito to never take the shortcut, but here he was, trying to look for a shortcut that may not even be there. Nope. No longer. That's not the Naruto way.

However, if he was going to beat this within this world's rules. . . Naruto crossed his arms, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

The gods had lifted the Garden and the peak of Mount Othrys out of the normal space-time to prevent heroes from easily reaching Atlas. That meant that divine power was used. _But how?!_ What spell could the gods have used? They didn't have the power of Chaos, who could create dimensions like Tartarus or Erebus with a single thought. All the gods could have done was -

Oh.

_Oh!_

Naruto's eyes widened in revelation. He was so _stupid_.

This entire time, he had thought that the gods had used a spell to lift the area out of space-time. A jutsu equivalent. But it was so much simpler than that. Naruto couldn't believe he didn't think of it.

He closed his eyes and entered Sage Mode again. Once again, he could sense Artemis up at the summit along with several others. And just a few hundred feet away from Naruto, he could sense five beings. That must be the Hesperides and Ladon, the dragon tasked with guarding the Garden.

Naruto quickly made his way over, crossing the distance in a second. He could sense them around him. But he couldn't see them. He couldn't touch them. He couldn't hear them.

_Reality only exists when it is being observed._

None of his senses worked. Except for his intuition screaming at him that they were there and his Sage Mode. And that was enough.

They are there.

The Garden of Hesperides was _right around him_.

 _He was in the Garden of Hesperides_.

And the Mist around him shattered.

XxX

Fighting on an empty stomach was just asking for trouble, which is why Zoe led them to the nearest sandwich shop and bought some food, manipulating the Mist so the cashier would think they paid.

"Low blood sugar has led to the deaths of too many demigods," Zoe informed them. "Always make sure to eat before battle. Hunger is the enemy."

"Hey, do you even eat?" Percy asked Naruto curiously as he bit into his sandwich.

Naruto shook his head. "I'm a shadow clone, a construct made up of chakra."

"Then can I have yours?"

Naruto passed his sandwich over to Percy, who took it gratefully.

"Should we go to the mountain now?" Thalia scanned their surroundings, looking for a car to hotwire. Thankfully, after her talk with Percy, she seemed to have returned to her normal self, although she did cast a few glances towards the quiver when she thought that no one was looking.

Zoe nodded. "Yes. There is nothing left us to do besides saving Lady Artemis. The Ophiotaurus is safe with Poseidon. Can you acquire transportation for us please?"

Thalia nodded. "On it." She headed over to the nearest car and began picking the lock.

"We're early by demigod standards," Percy remarked. "Typically, we're only supposed to arrive at the last minute. But a full _day_? The winter solstice isn't until _tomorrow!_ "

"It's unthinkable," Zoe agreed.

"I mean, is it just me, or is this a little too easy? We didn't even have a near-death experience yet on this quest!"

Bianca blinked. "Do you _want_ a near-death experience?"

"No, of course not," Percy replied. "But it scares me when we have had _none_. It makes me think that all of our bad luck is being saved up and will be unleashed all at once at the very end."

Zoe tilted her head. "Considering the fact that we'll have to fight the General, it's not a bad prediction."

Percy winced. "Right."

"How strong is Atlas, really?" Bianca asked.

Zoe hesitated. "He's the second strongest Titan after the Titan Lord himself. We just have to pray to the gods that he'll be prideful enough to not enter his divine form for mere mortals."

"Oh yeah. If we even look at him, then we'll disintegrate - " Percy was interrupted by Zoe shaking her head.

"No. Atlas is a Titan. If he enters his divine form, then we'll disintegrate _in his very presence_."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. An area-of-effect disintegration effect? _Good luck, Boss._

Percy paled. "What?"

Zoe nodded. "We'll just have to rescue Artemis immediately and hope that she'll be able to fight him off. And that backup would come."

"Backup would be nice," Percy agreed bleakly.

XxX

"Father, I'm not saying that you should go down there personally," Apollo paced around the throne room agitatedly. "But at least toss down a few lightning bolts on Atlas!"

Zeus stared at him with an unimpressed stare. "You know how I feel about interference in mortal affairs - "

"Damn it, this is no longer a mortal affair! This is _Atlas_. The general of the Titan army!" Apollo threw up his arms. "Do you honestly think Artemis and a few demigods would be able to stop him?"

Zeus crossed his arms. "A god shouldn't do a hero's job for them. Saving Artemis isn't our duty; it's theirs."

Apollo blinked. "Father, Atlas once took on all six elder Olympians and nearly _won_."

"Not my problem. You know the rules as well as I do. _Obey them_ ," Zeus commanded. "Understand?"

There was a brief battle of wills. Zeus won, of course. He always did. One of the perks of having the master bolt right next to his throne.

"Fine," Apollo's form glowed golden before he entered his divine form. "I'll do as you wish."

"But Apollo?" Zeus called.

"What?" Apollo snapped.

Zeus's expression was stony and stern, but a small twinkle appeared in his electric blue eyes. "While the god Apollo isn't allowed to do anything. . . Fred isn't a god, so he can do whatever he pleases. Not that I know who Fred is, of course."

Apollo's eyes widened in shock before he grinned. "Thank you, Father."

And then the twinkle was gone and Zeus was serious again. "Now leave. I have an annual council meeting to prepare for, and it's going to be a massive _pain_."

XxX

Apollo materialized in San Francisco in his Fred form once more. He didn't really like going incognito - he preferred to expose his awesomeness to as many people as he could - but when he had to, he would.

"Apollo?"

Apollo whirled around, surprised that someone recognized him - then his breathing stopped. " _You_. What are you doing here? How did you even know where I would appear?"

She laughed. "You're as predictable as always, dear. Sit down. We need to talk."

Apollo hesitated before shaking his head. "Sorry, beautiful, but I can't. I have business to attend to - "

"It's about Artemis."

Apollo focused intently on the woman in silver. "In which case, tell me _everything_. . . Selene."

Selene nodded. "It all started when I got a message from Prometheus. . ."


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey, uhh, Zoe. . ." Percy cautiously looked behind them. "You know that the sidewalk is for walking, not driving, right?" Several pedestrians yelled curses after them, having narrowly avoided being hit and some were pulling out their phones, presumably to call the police.

Zoe cast a glance at him. "We have no time to waste. Regrouping with Naruto is our biggest priority right now."

"Hey, you don't need to worry about Boss," the shadow clone spoke up. "He'll be fine on his own."

Zoe looked amused. "Trust me, I'm not worried about Naruto. I simply do not wish to wait in traffic any longer. The faster we regroup, the faster we can try to figure out how to reach the summit. Perhaps if Naruto asked for Apollo's help in lowering the Mist. . ."

"Mist?" Percy frowned. "What does the Mist have to do with anything?"

Zoe stared at Percy incredulously. "Has Chiron not taught you anything yet? What do you guys even do at Camp Half-Blood?"

"Don't worry, it's just Percy," Thalia smirked. She had fully reverted back to her old self. Thank the gods for demigods' short attention span. "For someone who's best friends with a child of Athena, he can be remarkably dense."

"Hey!"

"Percy, how do you think the gods lifted the summit of Mount Othrys out of this reality?" Thalia asked.

"Uhh. . . magic?" came the eloquent reply.

Thalia rolled her eyes. " _Everything_ we do is magic, Percy. The gods used the Mist."

"I thought the Mist was only a superficial illusion that prevented mortals from seeing godly stuff," Percy frowned.

"You're right," Thalia nodded. "But that is only one of the Mist's functions. How do you think Olympus formed over the Empire State Building?"

Percy blinked. ". . . magic?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a reply. It formed out of the Mist, Percy," Thalia explained. "Don't ask me how the exact process works; I don't think anyone truly knows though."

"You know how the Greek gods shifted with the heart of Western civilization?" Zoe took over from Thalia. "How do you think everything transferred over? There wasn't a team of builders or anything. The Sea of Monsters, the Lotus Casino, DOA Recording Studios. . . they were all automatically created - or rather, re-created - by the Mist."

"The Lotus Casino?" Bianca suddenly spoke up, her eyes wide with what appeared to be fear.

Zoe looked over. "Yeah. Why?" she asked in concern when she saw Bianca's terrified look.

"It's - it's nothing," Bianca looked away. "Never mind."

Zoe frowned but continued. "At any rate, not only could the Mist be used to change reality but it could also be used to separate reality into different dimensions. Reality has different layers, and it's possible to move one part of reality to a different layer - in other words, lift a location out of the normal space-time. It's extremely rare though, and it takes a _lot_ of energy - you need several major gods working together to accomplish it."

Percy made a sound of comprehension. "I see. So when we went to the Lotus Casino, it was lifted out of the normal flow of time, right?" Bianca drew in a sharp breath.

Thalia nodded. "Yup - although it still existed in the normal space, which is why you could enter and exit it like normal. It wasn't done by a god though; the process was entirely automatic."

"Indeed. A location can exist in a different space, time, or both," Zoe elaborated. "For example, the Garden of Hesperides originally didn't follow the normal flow of time - it existed in a state of perpetual twilight. Anyone could walk inside; it's just that once they entered, the time would change. After the gods manipulated the Mist, however, the Garden was lifted out of the normal space as well, so the only way for someone to enter is during twilight when the Garden returned to normal space."

"When you say the Lotus Casino was lifted out the normal flow of time," Bianca began hesitantly, "What do you mean by that?"

Percy glanced over. "Grover, Annabeth - " his face darkened slightly " - and I were trapped there during our first quest to retrieve the master bolt. We stayed for about an hour, but when we came out, five days had passed outside."

Bianca paled substantially.

Zoe noticed. "What is it?"

Bianca looked down at her lap. "Umm. . . Nico and I stayed at the Lotus Casino for several weeks."

A silence descended over them all.

Percy snapped his fingers. "That explains why you didn't know who Spiderman was."

Thalia shot him a dirty look.

"What?" Percy said defensively.

"Not the time," she hissed.

"Bianca," Zoe began cautiously, "Who is the current president?"

Bianca told them the correct president.

"And who was the president before that?" Zoe asked.

"FDR," Bianca responded.

Another silence.

"Bianca," Zoe said gently. "FDR was not the last president. That was about seventy years ago."

Bianca's eyes became suspiciously bright. "Oh." She looked down at her hands, as if she was afraid that they'd suddenly start wrinkling and turn grey. "I - I'm. . ." she trailed off. "I'm not that old," she whispered.

Thalia's gaze softened. "It's okay, Bianca. You're still a normal twelve year old daughter of Hades. Don't look at things chronologically - we live in Greek myths."

"Grover is in his twenties," Percy added. "But satyrs age slower than humans. Don't worry too much about it."

Bianca nodded slowly. "Yeah. You're right. Sorry, I'm just a little shocked." She smiled at them. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

"Apollo can lower the Mist?" Naruto spoke up suddenly.

Zoe hesitated. "I admit, I don't really know. Perhaps he can. However, I'm fairly certain that only the Elder Olympians have the jurisdiction to alter the Mist on the mountain. But if you asked Apollo to ask Zeus to temporarily let us through. . ."

"Got it," the clone nodded.

"Speaking of which, we're here," Zoe slammed on the brakes. They stopped at the base of a cluster of mountains.

"Finally," Thalia said. "It only took, what, three traffic accidents?"

Zoe nodded. "The mortal police are after us."

" _What?!_ "

"I'm not surprised you didn't notice. Thy situational awareness is atrocious. I manipulated the Mist to make them go away temporarily, but they're probably back to their senses by now." Zoe stepped on the accelerator once more. "So we should hurry."

The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests and up the sides of hills and around the edges of steep ravines. Zoe didn't slow down at all; in fact, she seemed to go even faster.

"Dear Zeus!" Thalia yelped as they narrowly avoided being plunged into a ravine by mere inches. "Zoe, the brakes are meant to be used! You're _supposed_ to lift your foot off the accelerator!"

"Amateur," Zoe muttered. "Hey Naruto, do you know where thy. . . Boss is?"

"He's up the mountain," Naruto answered. They were in the forest, and he once again had access to his godlike senses and perfect awareness. Surprisingly, it was the exact same as when he had entered Sage Mode.

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed in thought. Perhaps. . . whenever he was in a forest, Artemis's domain, her energy passively flowed into him, augmenting his abilities. However, in Sage Mode, Naruto was actively drawing upon her energy, which had the same effects. Which was why whenever he was in Sage Mode, it was as if he was in a forest. That was pretty cool.

As they passed a scenic curve, Percy suddenly exclaimed, "Guys!"

They looked out the window. There was a big white ship docked at the beach. A cruise ship. The shadow clone frowned. He hadn't sensed it. Although that was probably because it was still in the ocean, and therefore still in Poseidon's domain.

"Luke's ship," Thalia hissed. "The _Princess Andromeda_."

Bianca blinked. "What's wrong with that ship?"

"It's owned by Luke, a traitor," Percy explained grimly. "On board, there are a _lot_ of monsters and enemy demigods."

"We will have company, then," Zoe announced.

Thalia grinned. "Perfect. I've been wanting to let off some steam ever since Naruto defeated all those mortal mercenaries when Thorn attacked without letting us do a single thing."

Percy nodded. "No offense, Naruto, but that wasn't a really nice move. I had been ready to destroy all the mercenaries with an awesome water attack, but then you swooped in with your Sage Mode thing."

"I mean, at least let us have _some_ of the fun, you know?" Thalia agreed.

"Ah, my bad," Naruto apologized sincerely. "I'm pretty sure Boss just wanted to take care of it quickly."

"Wait, Percy, Thalia, are you saying that we were fine against those mercenaries with guns?" Bianca asked.

"Well, yeah," Percy confirmed. "I don't know what Thorn was thinking, or if he was even thinking at all. Sure, they have guns, but we're faster than bullets. Besides, I'm the son of Poseidon, and we were right next to the water."

Thalia nodded. "Percy and I had been a second away from defeating them all when Naruto beat us to it."

"Bianca, don't you remember?" Zoe had an amused smile on her face. "We can literally intercept the bullets in midair with our arrows."

Bianca flushed. "Oh. Right."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah. . . sorry guys. I think Boss just underestimated you all."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me. He bought our scared act?"

Naruto stared. "You guys were acting scared? But Boss was acting scared too. . ."

Percy broke out into a grin. "You mean that all of us were pretending to be scared and weak to get them to drop their guard - but we believed each other's acting?"

Naruto chuckled. "It appears so."

"Umm," Bianca began tentatively.

"Oh! Don't worry, you're still new," Percy hastily reassured. "I was super freaked out at everything too when I first found out I was a demigod. Give it some time."

Zoe nodded. "It's one of the reasons why I took you on this quest. I wished for you to gain experience. Once you have enough experience and knowledge, situations like with the mortal mercenaries won't even faze you."

Bianca nodded. "Yeah, you guys were all so calm and confident on this quest while I. . ." she trailed off.

Thalia smiled in understanding. "We were all like that when we first began. What's important is that you stuck through and didn't freeze up in fear or run away."

"Above all, you didn't give up," Naruto grinned. "And that's what truly matters."

XxX

It was a calm afternoon for the denizens of San Francisco. There was a bustling crowd of tourists taking pictures of random street corners and unwittingly holding up pedestrians. If they were attentive, they would see a man and a woman sitting outside of a cafe. The man was scruffy and looked homeless, and the woman was absolutely gorgeous. And if they were _really_ attentive, they would've noticed the seething rage in the man's eye.

"They're going to do _what_ now?!" Apollo snarled in pure, unadulterated rage.

Selene nodded. "You heard me."

Heat and energy radiated off of Apollo in waves as his eyes glowed golden in rage and fury. If it weren't for the Mist obscuring them, they would be getting a lot of fearful looks. "I'm going to _kill them all_."

Selene chuckled. "I doubt you can."

Something dark lurked in Apollo's eyes. "You'd be surprised at what I can do when my little sister is in danger." He paused. "No, danger would be an understatement. Immortal jeopardy is more like it."

"You're strong, Apollo," Selene said soothingly. "But even you can't defeat Atlas in one on one combat."

"He's old," Apollo muttered. "Spent several thousand years in a cramped up position. I can take him."

Selene sighed. "Apollo, I didn't tell you all of this so you would rush off foolheartedly in a desperate attempt to save Artemis."

"Yeah, well, that's exactly what is going to happen because I have no backup."

Selene blinked. "What do you mean?"

Apollo sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Zeus ordered a blanket ban on helping the quest members for the gods. I'm only here because I'm incognito. But none of the other gods are coming."

For the first time in about a hundred years, Selene broke her calm composure. "Are you serious?!" she asked incredulously. "This is _Atlas_ we're talking about. Even the _gods_ would have trouble taking him down. And Zeus expects mere _demigods_ to do the job?"

"Exactly!" Apollo declared. He sighed tiredly. "So yeah. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only god down here right now about to help the demigods. Athena is staying back until she has more information - she said something about not walking into an obvious trap - and the other gods are too apathetic to storm the mountain."

Selene was silent for a moment, taking in the new information. "The situation is worse than I had anticipated."

Apollo nodded grimly. "At least you're here." Selene opened her mouth but he suddenly grinned. "So, you're a double agent now, huh?"

Selene rolled her eyes. "Please don't call me that. I have no idea why the Titans thought that I would be on their side. They probably guessed that I would resent Artemis for taking away my domain of the moon."

Apollo snorted. "I thought Prometheus was supposed to be smart. Hey, so how do you feel about being called Double O7 - "

Selene silenced him with a glare. "Focus, Apollo. Avoiding the topic isn't going to make it go away."

He became serious again. "You're right. My bad. So how are we going to save Artemis? I already know that the demigods are driving up the mountain right now and Naruto is already in the Garden and presumably going up to the summit."

Selene blinked. "How did the kid get in? I thought you had to be a god to be able to navigate past the Mist like that."

"To be honest, I don't really know," Apollo admitted. "Although he's not mortal, so that might explain it." He snapped his fingers. "Speaking of which, the other demigods also have to enter the Garden. I'll have to ask Father to temporarily lift the Mist and allow them through."

"You do that. Anyway, to save Artemis, we have to end things before Atlas enters his divine form," Selene steepled her fingers together. "Once he's trapped under the sky, he'll be unable to enter, but until then, the only thing holding him back is his pride."

Apollo nodded. "I doubt he'll use his divine form against a bunch of demigods. So I guess we should - "

"There is no we," Selene interrupted.

"What?"

"That's what I tried to tell you earlier," Selene sighed. "I can't fight."

Apollo stared. "But I need you with me."

"I'm sorry," Selene whispered. "But. . . I'm weak now. I don't stand a chance against Atlas anymore. Hell, I think even _you_ can defeat me without much difficulty."

"That's impossible," Apollo shook his head. "You once singlehandedly held off Typhon for several hours before he finally incapacitated you."

"That was eons ago. But after I gave up my domain. . ." Selene shrugged helplessly. "I gained a lot from letting Artemis take over my duty, but in doing so, I also lost much of my power. Sorry, Apollo, but you're alone on this one."

Apollo muttered out some Greek curses.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that."

Apollo stood up. "Very well. I have to go."

Selene smiled. "Good luck. Go save your little sister."

"I will," Apollo answered with a fiery determination. "And. . ." his gaze softened. "Thank you." Then, in a flash of golden light, he was gone.

Selene watched him go with a sad smile. She would probably be targeted by the Titans for betraying them, but that was fine. She may have failed in saving her brother, but she'll be damned if she let history repeat itself with the new twin gods of the sun and the moon.

Her eyebrows raised as she caught sight of a golden MP3 player on the table. Did Apollo leave it behind for her? Intrigued, Selene pressed the play button and the music drifted up to her ears.

She couldn't help it. She laughed when the James Bond theme began playing from the tiny speakers.

_Helios. . . your successor. . . he's a lot like you. I wonder, would you have liked him?_

XxX

If Naruto didn't know any better, he would've sworn that he was just teleported to a different mountain. Naruto's intuition sputtered a bit at the sudden change before new information streamed into Naruto's mind once more.

Day became twilight and, instead of an empty clearing, Naruto found himself in the most beautiful garden he had ever seen. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, and the flowers were such brilliant colors they almost glowed in the dark. A hundred-headed dragon - Ladon - was coiled around a five-story-tall apple tree with golden apples that smelled _amazing_.

Above Naruto, the partly cloudy sky vanished and an angry storm replaced it. Dense grey clouds swirled continuously around the peak of the mountain and the temperature of the mountain seemed to drop by twenty degrees.

"Who are you?" A voice demanded. Naruto shifted his gaze to see four figures staring at him confusedly. Four young women that greatly resembled Zoe. They all wore white Greek chitons and had caramel skin. Silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders.

The Hesperides.

Naruto wasn't dealing with this. Within a second, he sprinted out of the Garden with only a faint afterimage left behind. Ladon didn't even have enough time to react.

As he exited the Garden, twilight became day again. It appeared that only the Garden existed in a state of perpetual twilight; Mount Othrys followed the same time as the outside world and only existed in a different space.

There was a single rocky trail leading up to the black peak of the mountain. Naruto ignored it, instead simply tree jumping. His eyes darted around, prepared for an ambush or attack, but it appeared that nobody noticed him. Apparently, they were confident enough in the Mist keeping everyone out.

At any rate, he was quickly brought out of his thoughts when he reached the top of the mountain. Ruins littered the area. Half formed blocks of black marble. Broken columns. Statues of bronze that looked as though they'd been half melted.

The ruins of Othrys, the mountain fortress of the Titans. This was bad. According to Apollo, Othrys was blasted to pieces in the Titan war, reduced to nothing but dust. But now, it was slowly reforming from the Mist in the same process as when Olympus formed over New York. Shifting with the heart of civilization and rising from old but not forgotten memories. Growing with the increase in the Titans' power.

The ruins around Naruto was nothing more but a streak as he rushed past. He could sense Artemis up ahead along with several other presences. A Rasengan formed in his hand - no. A Rasengan wouldn't be enough - it barely even scratched Apollo. Against Atlas. . .

Naruto reached the summit and his heart stopped at the sight.

Gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that almost touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. She was holding up the sky itself. And judging from the sweat drenching her form and how her entire body trembled under the weight, she was in massive pain.

Next to her, a man wearing a brown silk suit reclined in a soft leather couch. He had a book in his hand but he wasn't reading it; instead, he was talking to Artemis, a smirk on his face, obviously enjoying her pain. He radiated pure power on a level Naruto had never felt before. Naruto's muscles tensed up unconsciously as his instincts sent him warnings after warnings, telling him that this man was _dangerous_.

This was a Titan who had lived for millenia. Older than Madara, older than the Sage of Six Paths, older than even Kaguya herself.

This was a Titan who had seen the rise of mankind and would probably see the fall.

Atlas. The General of the Titan army.

But right now, he was none of those. At that moment, to Naruto, Atlas was nothing but someone who was hurting his mother.

Naruto could accept many things.

_This was not one of them._

_Futon: Rasenshuriken!_

Atlas whirled around the instant Naruto appeared in his field of vision, but he was too slow. The Rasenshuriken flew towards him - a rotating shuriken of pure wind, coated in a layer of senjutsu chakra to maintain the shape even after it was thrown. Unlike before, however, the Rasenshuriken emitted a bright purple-silver light. Naruto's eyes widened in realization. His senjutsu chakra was a combination of his own chakra and the natural energy of _Artemis_. Which meant that the silver light _was Artemis's divine power_.

The Rasenshuriken slammed into Atlas's chest and blew him back, slamming him into a large black marble column a solid twenty feet away from Artemis. Atlas roared in pain and surprise as chakra and divine power worked together to obliterate him on a microscopic level and the column behind him cracked from the force.

Then the central sphere of the Rasenshuriken detonated, producing a massive vortex of wind and unleashing millions of blades of wind and tiny shards of silver light. Atlas let out another roar that was drowned out by the sound of the explosion. The column was completely destroyed, releasing a puff of black dust that obscured Atlas's battered body from view.

Naruto smirked. That should keep Atlas down for a couple minutes.

"Naruto?!" Artemis gasped out, her voice strained.

Naruto was by her side immediately. "Mom! Are you okay?"

"What are you doing here?" Fear filled Artemis's voice. " _Run!"_

Naruto smiled as he quickly cut through the chains binding her. "Don't worry - "

"Naruto," a deep voice mused. The force of the voice seemed to make the ground underneath them vibrate, as if the earth itself was talking. "The mysterious newcomer to Camp Half-Blood."

Atlas strolled out from the cloud of black dust calmly, rubbing at his shoulder. Naruto gaped at the sight. Golden ichor dripped out of a few cuts on his chest, but other than that, Atlas looked completely fine. Even as Naruto watched, the cuts on Atlas's chest healed up until he looked as good as new, albeit with an extremely ripped suit.

A cruel smile spread across Atlas's face. "I have to thank you for doing that, Naruto. Slamming me into the column like that did _wonders_ for my back. Released a little bit of the tension."

"How?!" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Your cells were damaged on the _microscopic level_. You should've been incapacitated for at _least_ half a minute!"

Atlas raised his eyebrows. "Kid, I'm not a human," he answered simply. "Your kind is too fragile and weak. I am a Titan - not only that, but I am the Titan of endurance and strength." Atlas smiled. "Now then, I'm glad you came. We have much to discuss. . . son of Artemis. But before that, please get rid of that illusion. Talk to me face to face."

Naruto paused before allowing the Henge to dispel. There was no point in maintaining it anymore.

Atlas's smile grew as he took in Naruto's appearance. "Interesting. You know, Artemis, he looks a lot like you. I wonder what you'll do when I kill him. Will you cry? I think you will - you gods are the sentimental sort."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "Touch him, and you will _die_."

"Aww, how cute," Atlas walked forward, a Stygian Iron spear appearing in his hand out of nowhere. "It's almost as if you care. Unless - Don't tell me. Could it be? Does little Artemis actually _care_ about her son?" His voice took on a mocking lilt as he twirled the spear around.

"Naruto, please, _run_ ," Artemis whispered. "You can't fight him."

Naruto didn't move as Atlas stopped a few meters in front of them, his spear resting casually on his shoulder. Naruto stood absolutely still, gazing off into the distance. Then his eyes focused and determination roared to life within them. "I thought I already told you. _I don't run_."

Atlas laughed, a deep bass sound that echoed through the ruins. "That's adorable. Say, Naruto, how do you feel about joining the Titan army?"

Naruto blinked. "What?"

"We have excellent benefits," Atlas said. "And when the Titans conquer the world, we'll even let you have your own piece of land. And, more importantly, you'll have the respect you deserve. You won't have to hide away behind an illusion because of your parentage. Instead, you will be honored for your strength. How does it sound?"

"Are you insane?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

Atlas shrugged. "We've been keeping an eye on you. And we're impressed by what we see." At Naruto's incredulous look, Atlas sighed. "Then at least tell me this: why do you even defend the gods? You can't seriously tell me that the gods have the moral high ground over Titans. Hell, they're even _worse_ than the Titans in some aspects."

Naruto froze. Atlas noticed.

"Exactly," Atlas smiled and spread his arms. "Look at the gods. They're _pathetic_. All they do is cause pain and suffering wherever they go. Countless human lives are lost or destroyed because of their pettiness. Just look at when the master bolt was stolen. When Zeus and Poseidon were bickering, their domains reflected their state. Nearly two hundred lives were lost in storms. _Freak accidents_ , the media called it. You know what I call it? _Murder_."

"Don't pretend like you Titans don't do the same things," Artemis spat.

"We do," Atlas shrugged. "You're right. But at least we're brutally honest about it. We don't hide behind a veneer of goodness and righteousness. And, more importantly, we Titans don't engage in senseless killings like the gods do. If we kill, then we kill with a purpose and _only_ with a purpose."

He spread his arms in a grandiose gesture, his voice a deep rumble that reverberated around the ruins as if Naruto was surrounded by speakers.

"In the world we Titans wish to create, there will never be a mother mourning the loss of her child because Zeus woke up cranky again and blasted some mortals with his lightning bolt. There will never be a brother looking for his sister because Poseidon got into another argument with Athena and decided to drown an entire cruise ship."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Prosperity. Peace." Atlas continued. "That is the world that we wish to create. The gods can literally make food appear out of thin air but you still see humans starving on the streets. Does that seem _right_ to you? When we conquer the world, humans will get everything they need. Food. Water. Shelter."

Naruto paused. "And in return, humans will become your slaves and obey your every command with no choice of their own?"

Atlas smiled coldly. "Precisely. I'm glad you understand. A world like that would be perfect - "

"Perfect only for the Titans," Naruto interrupted. "A world like that. . . it would only be a false peace. False prosperity. Humans wouldn't be free - they would be caged, like a bird. Their destinies would be determined by you Titans and not themselves. It may be true that the gods kill humans, ending their hopes and dreams, but if you Titans are in rule, then humans won't even _have_ hopes or dreams. And I cannot - no, I _will not_ accept that."

"That's true," Atlas admitted. "But hey, do you really think humans can be trusted to have their own dreams? Make their own decisions? Just look at them. They waste their lives away with drugs and gambling and their little addictions. Wouldn't it be better if someone capable made their decisions for them?"

"With a good leader, perhaps," Naruto responded. "But see, that's the thing. You Titans aren't good leaders - far from it. Quite frankly, despite your words and promises, I don't trust you to make the best decisions for the good of the people."

Konoha was similar to the world Atlas described. A village in which the Hokage had control over _everything_. Unlike America, there was no democracy. There was no voting. There was no council of elected civilians. The Hokage's word was absolute law, and the only way to disobey the Hokage without any fear of punishment was to either be a high-ranking shinobi with lots of influence and power that the village simply could not afford to piss off unless they wanted their lives to suddenly become a massive pain, as was the case with Kakashi-sensei, or they could be the village Jinchuuriki and son of the previous Hokage, as was the case with Naruto.

However, the system worked perfectly because everything the Hokage did was for the good of the village. The Hokage was the leader, the one that everyone acknowledged. They lived for the village and they died for the village. They willingly gave up their lives to protect the people of Konoha.

The Hokage was the living embodiment of the Will of the Fire.

And that was why Naruto didn't believe in Atlas's pretty words and promises. Because no Titan would act like the Hokage. The Titans were selfish and self-serving. Everything they did was for their own pleasures and happiness. If the Titans made the decision for the humans, the decisions wouldn't be for the good of the humans, or the good of the world. It would be for the good of the Titans.

Atlas sighed. "The gods have tainted your view of us, I see."

Naruto stared. " _Hestia_ told me about you guys, and she's about as fair and unbiased as you can get. If she thought you guys were terrible people, then you guys were terrible people. Besides, didn't Kronos used to fast-forward the lives of humans with his time powers so he could see them wither up and die?"

A moment of silence.

"Damn it, Kronos!" Atlas snapped. "I _told_ you that your actions would harm our PR image. _It would be fine,_ you said. _There's no way we would be affected by it_ , you said." He sighed dramatically. "Alright, fine. So _maayyybe_ I glossed over a few details. But come on! Even though I may have fabricated and whitewashed some things, the world would still be better than it is now."

Naruto chuckled. "Don't make me laugh. A world where nobody could have dreams. . . a world where everyone's destiny is determined for them by the Titans. . . that's a world I'll do everything in my power to prevent from coming true."

They had a brief staredown, determined silver eyes against cold grey eyes. Then Atlas sighed. "At least I tried."

"Oh, and one more thing," Naruto began, his silver eyes suddenly filled with determination. "You're wrong in that I'm defending the gods."

Atlas raised his eyebrows in interest.

"The actions of the gods. . . I won't deny that they make terrible choices sometimes, and I won't make any excuses for them."

Next to him, Artemis looked away as Atlas smirked.

"But that doesn't matter right now," Naruto continued. "For you see, I care about my family." Hestia. Apollo. Artemis. "And it's when you hurt the people that are precious to me that I'll have to completely and utterly _destroy_ you."

Naruto's voice wasn't as deep as Atlas's, but somehow it still carried the same weight and power; the determination and resolve of a shinobi that has lost too much and isn't willing to lose any more.

Atlas chuckled. "You'll completely and utterly destroy me? Don't make me laugh. I was affected for a total of _eight seconds_ by your strongest attack. It only took me _eight seconds_ to heal everything up. Granted, it was a _painful_ eight seconds, but hold up the sky for a couple thousand years and pain isn't really an issue anymore."

Naruto tilted his head. "Who said that was my strongest attack?"

Atlas's eyes gleamed with amusement and interest. "Oh? Then show me, Naruto, son of Artemis. Try your best to defeat me. And when you finally collapse on the ground battered and broken, if you managed to give me enough entertainment, I may be merciful enough to grant you a painless death."

Naruto held up his fingers in a familiar cross-shaped seal. "My name is Naruto. You hurt my mother. Prepare to die." Apollo would be _so_ proud of that reference.

An army of shadow clones popped into existence and charged Atlas head-on. Naruto wanted to gauge Atlas's strength and abilities -

Atlas immediately leaped back to gain distance, his eyes flickering around. Then he shrugged and flicked his hand, releasing an incredible wave of energy. Immediately, all the shadow clones were blown back by the unseen force before dispelling in midair releasing puffs of chakra smoke.

"Did you just Shinra Tensei my clones?!" Naruto asked incredulously.

Atlas frowned. "Shinra what now?"

"Ah, never mind."

That's annoying. Atlas had an ability similar to the Almighty Push that the Deva Path of Pain used. Naruto hoped that there was a time or usage limit to it, though he honestly doubted it. Titans weren't constrained by silly stuff like chakra or stamina, especially not Atlas.

_Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._

Atlas didn't even bother dodging the hundreds of kunais streaking his way. They slammed into him and had as much effect as pebbles on a tank. Atlas smirked. " _Please_. I am the Titan of endurance and strength. Try a little harder. Give me some challenge."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Not only was Atlas a Titan, which already meant that his durability and resilience was several thousand times greater than a normal human's, but his domains of endurance and strength meant that Atlas was an impenetrable fortress of muscle and skill. The resilience and durability on par of Juubi Madara and a regeneration that may actually be _greater._

He wasn't fighting some lowly monster like the Nemean Lion or the manticore.

This was the real deal.

The Titan of strength and endurance. The second strongest Titan, Kronos's right hand man. The Bearer of the Heavens.

Atlas.

For the first time since the battle with Kaguya, Naruto had to fight for real. He stood absolutely still for a second before vanishing in a blur of speed.

And across from him, Atlas smiled.

XxX

About twenty meters away, safe inside their temporary hideout, Prometheus sighed disappointedly, staring at the holographic images. "It didn't work. They decided to fight."

"Shall I go out and help?" Luke Castellan asked. He had his sword, Backbiter - half Celestial Bronze, half steel - already out. Its razor edge glinted menacingly, as if it was thirsty for blood - and considering how the blade had a small degree of sentience, it probably was. An angry scar ran down his face, but it was nothing compared to the numerous scars on Prometheus.

Prometheus shook his head. "No. You would only get in the General's way." He gritted his teeth, his hands unconsciously rubbing at old scars. "I still don't understand though. How in the world did Naruto manage to get up to the mountain? It should've been _impossible_ for him to enter the Garden of the Hesperides and reach the summit at this time."

Luke shrugged, sheathing his sword. "A god helped him, probably. We already knew that the second we involved Artemis, numerous gods would do everything they could to circumvent or even outright ignore the Ancient Laws. Besides, lifting the Mist temporarily to allow Naruto to enter probably wasn't even that big of a deal - it's technically not even direct interference."

"I know. I should've expected it. But I thought that Zeus's authority would be enough to keep them in check. That incompetent idiot."

"On the bright side, however," Luke continued, "At least we'll be able to eliminate Naruto. He came here all alone."

Prometheus straightened his silk tie. "Of course." He chuckled. "I admit, I had thought that Naruto would be more intelligent than that. Rushing in solo? What a fool."

Luke smiled. "Fortunately for us."

Prometheus sighed. "But. . . it's such a waste. I had hoped to recruit Naruto to our side. His chakra would've made an amazing addition to the Titan army. You saw how strong he was. Sadly, our normal methods of persuading demigods to join our side - amply their resentment and hate and promise them revenge against their parents - wouldn't have worked with him. I had to try to use the peaceful utopia/terrible gods narrative, but he wasn't convinced."

Luke shrugged. "To be honest, I doubt _any_ method would've worked in turning Naruto." His eyes flashed angrily. "Naruto _lived_ with the gods. Unlike normal demigods, he has no reason to hold resentment whatsoever towards the gods. According to our spy at Camp Half-Blood, he only knew _three_ beings in his entire life before coming to Camp: Apollo, Artemis, and Hestia. After living with them, do you honestly think you can persuade him to join us?"

Prometheus hummed thoughtfully. "You never know, Luke. You never know. If Naruto survives this - or rather, if Atlas spares Naruto, then I think I'll take another shot." A smile spread across his face. "A challenge. . . haven't had one of those in a while."

"Whatever," Luke stood up and began walking away. "I'll go check on Annabeth."

"Have fun with your girlfriend," Prometheus called, turning back to continue watching the fight.

Luke ignored him as he had all the times before.

XxX

In retrospect, this may not have been the best idea. But it was too late to turn back now.

Nico trailed behind them, sticking to the shadows and trying desperately to not make a single sound. Hecate and Pan had fallen into a silence. Nico honestly had no idea what he should do. What _could_ he do? There was no way he could win in a fight against two gods. He was weak and useless, and if they saw him, then he would surely die -

Bad thoughts. It appeared that the aftereffects of Pan's roar still hadn't faded yet.

"We're almost there," Hecate suddenly announced. "Once we pass the camp borders, we can teleport them out of here."

Pan bleated. "Finally."

Oh no. Nico didn't have much time left. What should he do?

He could try to break the illusion over the Hunters, but he didn't know how to. Think, what can he do? Nico had no ranged weapons, no projectiles, no explosives. All he had was a stupid knife and some pretty cool armor.

That, and his acting skills from roleplaying Mythomagic battle scenes.

Slowly but surely, a plan formed in his mind. Not a good one. Definitely not a good one. But at least he had one.

XxX

Naruto dodged the spear swipe effortlessly, leaping over it and punching Atlas. Atlas simply leaned out of the way, Naruto's fist sailing harmlessly past him - and then his head was knocked to the side by an invisible force.

"What?" Atlas touched his face in bewilderment. A mistake, it turned out, because the moment he dropped his guard, Naruto capitalized on the opening and rushed forward and delivered an open-handed strike to Atlas's chest.

 _Frog Strike_.

A flash of silver light was released at the point of impact as ripples of natural energy emanated into Atlas's body. If performed on a normal human, their hearts would've literally exploded from the shockwave. Atlas merely grunted before _stomping_ the ground, sending tremors through the earth. Naruto briefly lost his balance and was forced to disengage, leaping away before Atlas could counterattack

"Kid, you mind explaining exactly how your blows contain Artemis's divine energy in them?" Atlas rubbed his chest.

"Would you mind explaining how my attacks have no effect on you?" Naruto responded dryly.

"I already told you," Atlas rested his spear on his shoulder like how a fisherman would rest his fishing pole. "I am the Titan of endurance. No matter what attack you use or what trick you employ, I shall endure it until my dying breath." Atlas paused. "Oh wait, guess what?" He smiled. "Titans don't die."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, bringing his hand together in a cross-shaped seal. Time to test a hypothesis.

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._

Atlas eyed the clones with amusement. "This again?" He waved his hand once more and the clones were all blasted back, dispelling with a puff of smoke.

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._

Once more, Atlas raised his eyebrows before blasting the clones again.

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._

Atlas sighed. "This is getting tedious. What are you doing this for?" he asked as he waved his hand yet again.

Atlas's AOE blasting attack had no delay. And, judging by Atlas's unconcerned gaze, there probably wasn't a usage limit. Atlas didn't have to wait before using it again and he didn't have a limit as to how much he could use. It was an attack similar to the Shinra Tensei - although nowhere near the level of power - however, it had none of the drawbacks.

"I'm just checking something out," Naruto answered.

"Really? To me it looks like you're just doing the same thing over and over again, hoping for success but failing every time," Atlas smiled smugly. "So, surrender?"

Naruto's reply came in the form of throwing a kunai at Atlas. Atlas rolled his eyes, not even bothering to move - just as Naruto had hoped. Naruto substituted with the kunai, appearing in front of Atlas. Atlas's eyes widened in shock as he reacted with an inhuman speed, slamming down his spear, but Naruto sidestepped diagonally and unleashed an uppercut to Atlas's jaw.

Atlas's head snapped back from the impact as shadow clones formed around him. Naruto kicked Atlas in the chest while two clones kicked Atlas's legs in the other direction, causing Atlas to lose balance and fall to the ground. Another clone flipped in the air before slamming down its foot in an axe kick straight to Atlas's head while Naruto leaped back, a Rasenshuriken forming in his hand.

After three years, Naruto had finally improved to the point where he could form both the Rasengan and the Rasenshuriken without the assistance of clones. For some reason, his chakra control was exponentially better in this body - perhaps it was because he was literally half chakra.

Naruto tossed the Rasenshuriken down at Atlas, jumping back to avoid the explosion. He didn't want to be caught up in the wind vortex.

Even before his feet touched the ground, Naruto's clones surrounded him once more, helping in the shape manipulation. His chakra control wasn't good enough to create this Rasengan variation alone yet.

When the wind died down, Naruto could see multiple deep wounds on Atlas's chest, although they were already starting to heal up. Fortunately, Atlas appeared to be temporarily stunned, so Naruto jumped up in the air once more to gain some extra momentum.

 _Planetary Rasengan_.

Three normal Rasengans revolving around a Big Ball Rasengan the size of Naruto's body formed in Naruto's hand. The Planetary Rasengan functioned in that the outer Rasengans rotated in different directions than the Big Ball Rasengan, resulting in a powerful vortex that literally drills through enemies.

Naruto slammed the Planetary Rasengan down on Atlas's prone body. A whirlwind formed at the point of impact as Naruto was blown back by the explosion, landing lightly on his feet. He distinctly recalled the Edo Tensei reanimations taking longer than usual to regenerate from the Planetary Rasengan. Hopefully this would be the case here -

" **Boring** ," Atlas stood up, his skin steaming from the immense friction generated by the spinning Rasengans. Ichor dripped freely from several cuts on his body, but they were already healing. His cold eyes were filled with annoyance and a bit of disappointment. "You're boring."

" _Excuse me_?" Naruto asked incredulously. "You're the one who's boring! All of my attacks are awesome and new and original. Meanwhile, you're literally just _standing_ there because your broken Titan powers means that both your regeneration _and_ your durability are off the charts!"

. . . Naruto was well aware of the irony of the situation.

Atlas sighed. "I had hoped that after several thousand years, my first fight would be a good one. Sadly, it appears my wishes are going to go unanswered. I'll take care of you now."

And then Atlas went onto the offensive and _charged_.

XxX

"We're here." Zoe _finally_ stepped on the brakes. The others breathed sighs of relief and got out, looking around them. They were in an empty clearing on the mountainside. Sheets of fog and mist surrounded them, slightly obscuring their vision. "Alright, it appears that Naruto may have already entered the Garden somehow. Thalia, could you please ask Zeus to let us into the Garden?"

"He won't answer," Thalia responded immediately, a hint of bitterness appearing in her voice. "He never answers."

Zoe sighed. "Just try, please?"

Thalia didn't look too happy about it but she closed her eyes. "Hey, Dad? If you could let us into the Garden, that would be great. I gotta save my half-sister and all." Thumber rumbled overhead as she opened her eyes. "Did it work - _dragon!_ "

Standing in front of them was a hundred-headed dragon. It leered at them. Its breath was disgusting, even worse than Nereus. And if Naruto hadn't met Nagato's summons or Apollo in a bikini before (long story, don't ask), it would've easily been one of the scariest creatures he had ever seen. Everything about the dragon seemed to be almost designed to invoke as much fear as possible.

"Easy, now," Zoe murmured. "No sudden movements."

Percy edged back slowly. "Guys? Why is the weather all weird?"

Above, the cloudy skies were replaced by a storm. Dense grey clouds swirled continuously around the peak of the mountain like a hurricane.

"That's the sky," Thalia answered. "Literally."

"You again," a voice called out.

They whirled around to see four girls shimmer into existence. They all greatly resembled Zoe. Naruto blanched. Wait, could it be -

"Sisters," Zoe greeted.

They were family? Huh. Naruto didn't recall there being a fifth Hesperid.

"We do not see any sister," one of the girls responded coldly. "We only see three half-bloods, a Hunter, and. . ." she paused and turned to Naruto. "What are you again?"

Naruto shrugged. "Demigod, technically." He was half god. As for Kurama. . . was he a monster? A nature spirit? Whatever. It was useless to try to classify Kurama as something within this world.

She shrugged. "Very well. It doesn't matter, really. After all, you all will die soon. I presume you asked one of the Olympians for assistance in entering the Garden?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah, Zeus answered Thalia's prayer." He grinned at Thalia. "See? I _told_ you he wasn't completely useless - " he paused, his face becoming serious. "Wait. What did you mean by you all will die soon?"

The girl tilted her head. "I speak only the truth."

"Then we must have very different definitions of the word truth," Percy narrowed his eyes. "Unless that was a threat?"

"We mean you no harm, Percy Jackson," another girl stepped up. "However, _he_ does. None of you can hope to defeat him - "

The mountain trembled under their feet as a massive explosion at the summit released a shockwave of pure force and wind that caused their clothes to billow out, even from all the way down here. The girls shifted uneasily and two of them cast glances upward, a hint of worry on their beautiful features.

"None of us can hope to defeat him, huh?" Percy smirked. "Well, judging by the explosion above, it certainly seems like someone is trying."

"Let's go," Zoe commanded.

"Ladon will devour you all alive," the girl warned.

Zoe raised her eyebrows. "Ladon!" she shouted. Ladon swiveled its heads towards her.

"Whoa! What happened to not provoking the big, scary dragon?" Percy whispered in alarm.

Zoe smiled, stepping forward. "Sisters, I may not have stepped foot in this Garden for thousands of years, but I do remember one thing." She reached out her hand and two of Ladon's heads leaned forward and nuzzled it. "The gods don't pay overtime. Right now, Ladon isn't a killing machine guarding Hera's tree. He's just someone who really enjoys headpats."

Percy stared. " _Cerberus,"_ he breathed.

"Go," Zoe called to them, patting Ladon on the head. "Follow the trail."

They nodded before rushing past the Hesperides who made no move to stop them. "You realize this is suicide, correct?" the girl addressed Zoe with a cold stare.

"I thought I was already dead to you," Zoe cast a glance at her, her expression undecipherable. "Why do you care?"

The girl inclined her head. "Fair enough. Good bye. . . Zoe."

XxX

Strength. Complete overwhelming strength.

Atlas's every attack was filled with brute power, inhuman in nature. Cracks formed on the ground from his footwork as columns and black marble was obliterated under the sheer force of his every blow. Blows that missed, of course.

There was a reason why most shinobi didn't use spears. Quite simply, they were too slow and predictable. There was a large period of time in which someone could react to a swing or a thrust due to the size of the weapon - a spear had to travel a much longer distance than a kunai. Naruto's speed and precognitive senses allowed him narrowly avoid each and every one of Atlas's strikes.

Naruto's eyes widened before he quickly sidestepped a spear thrust. Atlas immediately swung the spear sideways, attempting to crush Naruto's head, but Naruto leaped over it, kicking off the shaft and launching himself into the air and spinning around to deliver a powerful kick to Atlas's face.

No effect. Even with the senjutsu chakra enhancing his muscles and bones, Atlas grinned savagely before continuing with his onslaught.

Shadow clones, Rasengan variations, kunai. . . nothing worked. Atlas didn't even try to dodge anything (not that he would've been fast enough); most of the damage was mitigated entirely and the rest was all healed up. Naruto finally understood why Atlas was considered the second strongest Titan.

Nothing could keep Atlas down. An unstoppable force that could tank everything that hit him and more. He had no speed or finesse, but that didn't matter because of his overwhelming strength. The force of Atlas's blows literally generated a small whirlwind around him due to the immense pressure. If even a single one of his powerful attacks hit Naruto, then Naruto would surely - well, not die, but at least be incapacitated briefly.

Should he use Six Paths Sage Mode? Naruto had hoped to save it for the last resort. Did this count as the last resort?

No. Atlas was strong, but Naruto didn't exactly fear for his life or anything.

Besides, there was a small chance that Atlas may counter his Six Paths Sage Mode by entering his divine form. Naruto honestly didn't know if he would be able to survive the divine form. He had never tested it before simply because he could not take the risk; Kurama wasn't divine. Until he knew what Kurama was categorized as, he had to continue to stay vigilant.

He should just keep on fighting Atlas in Sage Mode. Stall until backup arrives. He had things under control. There wasn't a need to use Six Paths Sage Mode.

Yet.

 _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_.

Clones swarmed Atlas once more, who didn't even bother waving his hand and instead let out a roar. The clones all dispelled once more as Atlas continued charging Naruto. The ground shook and rocks and boulders and broken columns were crushed into dust as Atlas missed all of his attacks.

Thank the gods Atlas was using a spear. Naruto had plenty of time to react and dodge the strikes. Atlas may not realize it, but the only reason why Naruto still had the upper hand (in not getting hit, at least) was because Atlas used the spear and not something more sensible. It was too easy, really - Atlas had the strength and the durability, but his speed was extremely lacking.

Still though. What could Naruto do? Atlas was a Taijutsu specialist, no doubt about it. He appeared to only have a single ninjutsu attack - a wave of energy he releases that's strong enough to dispels clones. By this logic, Naruto should stop close-range combat and engage in long-range, but the thing was that none of his long range attacks would work.

Kunai, shuriken, Rasenshuriken, arrows. . . they were all useless. They simply lacked the force and power to take Atlas out. Against a normal Titan, Naruto would've surely won by now. But Atlas was too durable and resistant. Celestial Bronze, silver, chakra, even rocks Naruto found on the ground had no effect.

The Titan of endurance indeed.

Naruto regretted not expanding his jutsu pool. If he had even a fraction of the knowledge of jutsu that Kakashi-sensei does. . .

But this was no time for regrets.

 _Fuuton: Rasenshuriken_.

Eight seconds. That's how long Naruto had. In that time, he had to unleash as many combination attacks as he could.

Atlas futilely tried to block the Rasenshuriken with his spear. The spear was sliced to ribbons by the blades of wind and Atlas grunted as the vortex once again hit him square in the chest. "Not again," he groaned as he was blasted back, new cuts appearing on his body that leaked golden ichor.

 _Now!_ While Atlas was down and distracted, this was Naruto's chance. He quickly threw down some smoke bombs to obscure Atlas's vision and make sure he wouldn't use the knockoff Shinra Tensei.

_Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._

About twenty clones leaped up into the sky.

_Senpo: Choodama Rasen Tarengan!_

An Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan formed in each of the clones' hands, easily five times the size of Naruto's body. Blue with specks of silver. The same attack Naruto had used to defeat Kurama.

Was it overkill? Definitely not. After all, Atlas was easily as durable as Kurama. Not as durable - Atlas had actually been cut by the Rasenshuriken - but he was in the area.

The clones formed a line in midair. A vertical line of Naruto clones just waiting their turns to slam their Rasengans into Atlas's face. The first clone slammed its Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan down on Atlas and then dispelled, allowing the second clone to follow up immediately, and then the third clone, and so on. Several clones actually landed and had to jump back up again to get back into line.

Finally, the last clone dispelled. A cloud of dust shrouded Atlas from vision. Naruto quickly manipulated some wind chakra to create a gust of wind that blew the dust away.

Surprisingly enough, Atlas's clothes were still intact - although it may also just be the Mist protecting Atlas's modesty. Atlas's eyes were closed and he lay in a puddle of ichor that was slowly increasing in size. Was he unconscious? Did he finally pass out -

Atlas sat up, dispelling all illusions of victory, and rubbed his head. "Alright kid, I take it back. Fighting you isn't boring at all." He stood up and stretched contentedly. A cruel smile spread across his face. "That did _wonders_ for my back, by the way. Released almost all the tension. Thank you for that."

"This is _ridiculous!_ " Naruto suddenly snapped frustratedly. "How are you still standing after all of that?"

Atlas laughed. "I'm not some minor god, kid. I once took Zeus's beloved lightning bolt to the face and came out nearly unscathed." he paused. "My eyebrows were singed off though. . . but I digress. I'm on a whole different level than the dogs you've fought before."

"Naruto." Naruto whirled around. In his haste, he hadn't noticed that he ended up right next to Artemis again. Her eyes were filled with shock, surprise, and even. . . pride? "You've grown strong," she smiled.

Naruto brightened as a smile spread on his face. "Of course I am."

"But not strong enough," Artemis said, her expression growing disheartened. "Please, Naruto, just run. You can't possibly hope to defeat Atlas all by yourself."

"I already told you - "

"Naruto, please," Artemis whispered desperately. "I don't want to see you hurt because of me."

Across from him, Atlas observed them with mild amusement - although he probably also needed time to regenerate.

Naruto was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Mom, you should know me well enough to know that I never give up." Naruto flashed her a bright smile. "I'll be fine - "

He froze. "What was that sound?"

"What sound?" Artemis asked confusedly.

"Are you talking about your friends hurrying up the mountain?" Atlas suggested, "They're not even being remotely subtle, like you had been. Speaking of which, how did you avoid the security measure on the path?"

"I didn't take the path," Naruto replied absently. "I tree jumped up here. But that's not the sound I'm talking about. It was. . ." he frowned. "A yawn?"

Atlas stared. "Are you okay, mentally?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond but froze when a familiar voice spoke up in his mind.

**Hey, Naruto. I'm awake. What did I miss?**

A wide smile spread across Naruto's face, filled with genuine joy and happiness.

_Kurama!_

XxX

As they ran up the mountain, they heard multiple explosions. Whatever Boss was doing, he was doing a pretty good job.

"So what's the plan?" Percy uncapped his pen and it extended into a sword.

"We cannot defeat him," Zoe said grimly.

The clone blinked. "I'm pretty sure that Boss can - "

"What do you know about Titan physiology?" Zoe interrupted.

"Umm. . . if you cut them into tiny enough pieces, they return to Tartarus," Naruto answered.

"Wrong," Zoe shook her head. "That's a common misconception. No, the truth is that when we say someone 'killed' a god, we mean that they were sent to Tartarus. Tartarus is synonymous with a god's death. And a god can only be sent to Tartarus by opening up a physical gateway. They're not like monsters, whose physical forms disintegrate and their essence automatically returns to Tartarus."

"Wasn't Kronos sliced into a million pieces though?" Bianca asked.

Zoe nodded. "He was. Zeus used Kronos's own scythe to carve up his essence. However, that wasn't what sent him to Tartarus. Rather, the gods physically scattered his remains into the Pit. Same with the other four Titans - Koios, Krios, Hyperion, and Iapetus. They were bound in chains and tossed into the deepest sections of Tartarus."

Naruto shrugged. "Okay. That changes nothing. After all, we're not trying to 'kill' him, are we? We're just trying to get him back under the sky."

Zoe smiled. "Precisely. When you attack him, don't go for the vital spots like you normally would. Instead, target his arms and legs - try to reduce his mobility. Of course, he would likely regenerate it all - the General's regeneration is notorious even among Titans - but it should slow him down temporarily, long enough for us to get a combination chain attack in."

"That's what Boss is doing right now," Naruto confirmed. "He's trying to get Atlas back under the sky."

"Good."

The clone blinked as a thought occurred to him and then he promptly facepalmed. "Please. . . Boss, tell me you're not this stupid."

Bianca looked over. "What is it?"

"It's nothing."

There was a very high probability that instead of trying to bait Atlas under the sky again with trickery and cunning, Boss instead opted to try to beat the living hell out of Atlas before dragging him under the sky - a task infinitely more difficult.

But there's no way. Naruto was probably just having trouble because Atlas had millenia of battle experience and he's a Titan so he would see through tricks and deception.

Right?

XxX

 _It's been so long!_ Naruto smiled. _I'm really glad you're awake. I need your help in beating the living hell out of Atlas._

 **Are you in a battle?** Inside his mind, Kurama smirked as he took in the situation. **You certainly don't waste any time do you? Have you already made enemies in this world?**

_Yup. See that guy over there? He's almost as durable as you. He tanked my Rasenshuriken and healed it all up in about eight seconds. So if you could hit me up with some chakra, that would be awesome._

Kurama blinked before chuckling. **I've only been awake for ten seconds and you already need my help in fighting someone who was hit by your Rasenshuriken and didn't appear to take a scratch? You haven't changed at all,** he said fondly. **Fine, fill me in. Who are we fighting?**

 _His name is Atlas. He's not mortal. He tanked my Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, Planetary Rasengan, Senpo: Choodama Rasen Tarengan, and a_ lot _of kunais. They barely did any damage to him, and the damage that he did take was all healed up._

**Oh?**

Naruto nodded. _Yup. If I didn't know any better, I would swear that he knew mitotic regeneration, or something. At any rate, he's slow but strong - not that strong though. Bushier Brows-sensei with a few Gates released is stronger than him. He has an attack similar to the Shinra Tensei, although it's much weaker than what Nagato can do._

 **Got it** , Kurama hummed. **What about the girl behind us? I recognize her - she was the girl from that night.**

_Her name is Artemis. And. . . she's my mom._

Kurama was silent for a moment. **I'm happy for you,** he finally said. His voice held traces of both regret and guilt.

Naruto paused. _You know I don't blame you for killing my original parents, right?_

 **. . . yeah. I know.** Kurama quickly changed the subject. **What is she holding up? It. . . I have no idea what it is.**

_The sky._

**The what?**

_It's complicated, I'll explain later. All we have to do is to completely annihilate that guy and then drag him under the sky._

Kurama grinned. **Sounds fun. Let's do it.**

Naruto smiled. _It's great to have you back. I owe you a hug, by the way._

 **Please don't**.

"Does he do this often?" Atlas gestured at Naruto, frowning. "Completely space out and ignore everything."

"Don't speak to me, you vile bastard," Artemis spat.

"Now see, that, that is irony," Atlas grinned. "My parents were married - but you weren't. So who's the bastard here? Still though, I gotta thank you for spacing out," he addressed Naruto. "Gave me enough time to completely regenerate all of my broken bones and heal up my internal injuries."

"Mom?" Naruto spoke up, ignoring Atlas.

"Yes?" she responded.

"You're right in that I can't defeat Atlas on my own," Naruto took a step forward. Another step. "But that's the thing." He smiled, flames of determination roaring to life within him. Some might call it the Will of Fire. For Naruto, he just called it the guts to never give up. "For you see, I'm not alone."

Flickering golden chakra quickly covered his entire body as black markings extended out. His golden-and-black chakra cloak billowed out as the sheer power radiated from the chakra blasted rubble and dust back. His eyes shifted into a cross-shaped pupil as Naruto felt a familiar, comforting chakra once more ready to heed his every call.

"Meet Kurama, my partner," Naruto grinned. He tilted his head as he sensed people approaching. "Oh, and say hello to my friends as well."

Percy, Zoe, Bianca, Thalia, and his shadow clone appeared, determination and anger etched onto their faces. The shadow clone took one look at the situation and for some strange reason facepalmed before dispelling.

Naruto raised his eyebrows as the clone's memories hit him. Hmm. . . an explanation on space-time, Zoe is a terrifying driver, Titan physiology - Naruto's eyes widened. Wait. He should've been trying to get Atlas back under the sky, but instead, he was more focused on making sure Atlas got what he deserved for what he did to Artemis - namely, beating the living hell out of him. Oops.

But oh well. He already entered Kurama Chakra Mode. Might as well, y'know?

Atlas merely smiled coldly at the sight of them all. "Ah, you've all come as well. The son of Poseidon, the daughter of Zeus, some random Hunter. . . and my daughter."

Percy frowned. "Daughter? Who are you. . ." he trailed off and slowly turned to face Zoe. "Hold up."

Naruto's eyes widened as he compared the two. Zoe and Atlas had the same cold, regal gaze - although Zoe's was several degrees warmer. Their facial features were also scarily similar.

Huh. Zoe was Atlas's daughter.

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "You are no father of mine."

Naruto suddenly got a very Uchiha vibe from the situation. And he didn't like that at all. Still though, even as Atlas and Zoe exchanged insults, he felt a warm sensation in his heart. And at that moment, he knew that he had made a mistake.

He had tried to do it all alone. Defeat Atlas on his own. But that was wrong. Hadn't Itachi already told him to not shoulder everything by himself or else he would fail? That his comrades would help him succeed?

And now, surrounded by his friends and comrades. . . it's been a long time. Too long. But right now. . . it sort of feels like being back with Team 7 again. Especially with Kurama finally being back.

 **Come on, Naruto. Let's do this** , Kurama smiled determinedly.

Naruto grinned, golden chakra arms extending from his chakra cloak.

It was time Atlas truly understood just who he was fighting.

The Savior of the Shinobi world.

Kurama's partner.

The son of Artemis.

Naruto Uzumaki was _back_.

_Let's go, Kurama!_


	10. Chapter 10

Three children of the Big Three. The lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis. And Naruto in both Sage Mode and Kurama Chakra Mode.

Atlas didn't stand a chance.

Before Atlas could continue monologuing, Naruto attacked. Sure, it may have been bad form to strike while Atlas was still talking, but at this point, Naruto didn't really care. He crossed the distance in less time than it took to blink with a speed comparable to the Hiraishin. Not quite as fast, but nearly.

With Kurama's chakra enhancing his physical capabilities, Naruto unleashed a flurry of combination attacks. His movements flowed smoothly but slammed into Atlas with a formidable force that should've cracked bones on a normal human but instead only bruised skin. His golden chakra arms were a blur around Naruto as they constantly weaved in Rasengans and even mini Rasenshurikens.

Of course, the attacks Naruto landed didn't matter because Atlas healed as fast as Naruto could deal out the damage. Naruto gritted his teeth at the unfairness of the situation. Not only did Atlas take reduced damage due to both his Titan physiology as well as his domain of endurance, he also regenerated at a ridiculous rate.

Percy and Thalia quickly joined him. Not in close quarters combat, of course - Naruto was likely nothing more than a blur of movement to the two, and getting in between the son of Artemis and the General was suicide. Rather, Thalia assisted by calling down blasts of lightning and sending out arcs of electricity from his spear. Percy, on the other hand, was manipulating water to bombard Atlas's face repeatedly. It didn't damage him, but it certainly distracted and caused him to lose focus.

Atlas staggered back, trying to block as many of the blows as possible, but it was futile. His spear had already been shredded by the Rasenshuriken and he had resorted to using his elbows, hands, and knees to block and deflect - although his body was infinitely more durable than the spear.

 **We don't need their help** , Kurama commented. **They're just getting in your way.**

_It's fine. I kinda enjoy this. Besides, I promised to let them have some of the fun too._

Fighting alongside them filled Naruto with a warm feeling of nostalgia and happiness. He had forgotten just how _good_ teamwork felt - the satisfaction of a combination attack gone well and the elation of completely overwhelming the enemy with superior tactics.

Behind them, Zoe and Bianca knelt by Artemis. Clearly, they were unable to get a clear shot at Atlas due to Naruto constantly moving around and instead decided to check up on their mistress.

"Milady," Zoe pleaded to Artemis, "Please, let me take thy burden."

Artemis shook her head and smiled weakly. "Don't worry about me. The weight of the sky is not yours to bear."

Naruto had almost forgotten about Artemis. Damn it, what kind of son was he?

He needed to end this. _Now_.

Naruto _blurred_ above Atlas and slammed an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan down on Atlas, stunning him temporarily. Percy and Thalia jumped back, avoiding the explosion and shrapnel. Naruto's golden chakra arms enlarged and grabbed Atlas's prone body before launching him over to where Artemis knelt.

"NOW!" Naruto yelled.

Artemis nodded and prepared to roll out of the way so that Atlas would be trapped under the sky once more. Zoe let loose a couple more arrows at Atlas's flying body and Bianca quickly stepped back to get out of the way.

With an inhuman strength, Atlas spun around in midair and landed on his feet, skidding on the ground and coming to a stop just a few feet away from Zoe and Bianca.

. . . oops.

Naruto hadn't expected Atlas to recover so quickly. Zoe abandoned her bow immediately, clearly understanding that arrows won't do anything against the General's tough skin especially at close range, and instead drew her Celestial Bronze sword out of nowhere.

_Hey Kurama, lend me a hand._

**Shouldn't you be worried that you knocked Atlas right next to them?**

_Nah. They're strong._

Atlas seemed amused by her actions. Even as his wounds healed, he towered above Zoe with a smirk. "My dear daughter, are you really going to try to cut me dow - " His eyes widened as he quickly snatched an arrow out of the air. His head whipped around to stare at Bianca. "Did you just shoot me as I was talking?"

Bianca raised her eyebrows, showing some bravado for the first time on the quest. "You know, they didn't exactly cover combat etiquette yet. Besides, last I checked, you're fighting against _kids_. No, not just that, you're _losing_ against kids. Zoe, remind me to tell Nico to toss out his Atlas Mythomagic card."

Holy hell, did Bianca just say that to Atlas? Thalia, Percy, and Naruto shared identical grins of pride. It appeared that Bianca finally gained some confidence and learned the art of banter and trash talking opponents. Sure, it wasn't perfect and there was room for improvement in the tone and inflection, but for a beginner's attempt, it was pretty good.

"You filthy Hunter!" Atlas snarled in rage as he raised his fist holding the arrow - then he froze. "Wait. . ." he slowly turned his head to look at the arrow, scrutinizing it. "This is Stygian Iron."

There was a moment of silence at that.

Then Atlas began laughing. "Oh, this is _beautiful_. So little Corpse Breath also had a kid?" He paused. "No, _kids_. You have a brother." He let out a few chuckles. "So I'm against children of all the Big Three, huh?"

Behind Zoe and Bianca, Artemis narrowed her eyes at the revelation.

_Is the chakra balanced?_

**Yup. It's ready. Damn, that took way too long. I've gotten rusty.**

_Don't worry, so have I. We'll have to train a lot after this to get back to our former level of strength._

A miniature Bijuudama formed in one of Naruto's chakra hand with Kurama's help. By himself, Naruto could only create the Super Mini Bijuudama, but with Kurama's aid, they could form a Bijuudama the size of a regular Rasengan. An ultra-condensed sphere of chakra with the perfect ratio of black positive chakra to white negative chakra, not even Atlas should be able to get up from this anytime soon - plenty of time to drag him back under the sky.

 _Time to end this_.

Shadow clones formed and quickly stood in front of Artemis, Zoe, and Bianca.

"Aww, are you protecting your little family?" Atlas said mockingly, a taunting smile on his face. "It's cute, really, it is." At that, a hint of confusion entered Zoe's eyes.

"Actually, I am," Naruto nodded. A wall of golden chakra exploded out from the clones, shielding the goddess and demigods from damage. "Not from you though."

The smile on Atlas's face faltered as Naruto's chakra arm _blurred_ forward, crossing the distance almost instantaneously. Atlas reacted impossibly quickly, bringing his elbow up to block the scaled-down Bijuudama. "Oh look," he said dryly. "It changed colors. Now it's purple - " he was cut off when the extraordinarily dense sphere of chakra overcame the resistance and broke his elbow. He immediately let out a roar of pain, twisting his body to try to dodge the Bijuudama but failing.

Naruto _slammed_ the Tailed Beast Bomb into Atlas's chest, cracking several ribs. Then Naruto quickly drew back his chakra arm and the Bijuudama exploded. The golden chakra contained the destructive explosion, shielding everyone from the force. But even then, they all skidded back several inches from the sheer magnitude of the shockwaves.

Game over.

**What do you mean by that? 'Game over?' What, did you become a shogi master when I was asleep?**

Naruto's eyes widened in realization. _Remind me to introduce you to the awesomeness that is video games._

Finally, the explosion died down and Atlas collapsed onto the ground, unmoving. Naruto grinned as the shadow clones dispelled. It appeared that the Bijuudama worked.

**Of course it did. I helped in its creation, after all.**

_Exactly. Why do you think I had doubts?_

**. . .**

_No comeback? Seriously?_

**I just woke up,** Kurama grumbled. **Give me a break. Besides, I don't even need to say anything; the results speak for itself. All of your Rasengan variants? Failed. But my single Bijuudama? Success.**

Zoe wasted no time and immediately stepped forward, grabbing Atlas's arm and effortlessly dragging him with a strength that a girl her size shouldn't have. Atlas groaned weakly, his head flopping side to side as Zoe dropped him down right in front of Artemis.

Naruto grinned. They won -

 **Naruto!** Kurama shouted in warning as both his negative emotion sensing and intuition exploded, sending warning signals after warning signals.

And then everything went to shit.

XxX

"Oh my gods!" Nico screamed out in shock.

Hecate and Pan whirled around to face him, fierce expressions on their face, clearly expecting a squadron of trained demigods. Instead, they came face-to-face with a young kid.

Pan blinked. "Hecate, am I seeing things, or is that a kid there?"

Hecate was a bit more straightforward. She immediately lifted up her hand and green mist began curling around it. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name's Nico," Nico responded happily. "Are you Hecate?"

The two shared a glance and they seemed to grow even more suspicious and wary.

"Yes," Hecate nodded her head. "I am Hecate, the goddess of the - "

"That is _so_ cool!" Nico interrupted, an excited smile on his face. "You deal the most magic damage, _and_ you have complete immunity against magic damage. It's as if your very existence is a bane to magicians everywhere!"

Now Hecate just looked confused. "Magic damage? Magicians? What are you talking about?"

"Mythomagic!" Nico answered. "The best game in the world, infinitely better than poker!"

Hecate raised her eyebrows, intrigued. "Mythomagic? What is that? Is it a form of magic? Why have I never heard of it before?"

Nico's eyes widened. " _You haven't heard of Mythomagic before?_ " he breathed in horror. "But you're one of the best goddesses!"

Hecate's lips quirked up. "I am?"

Nico nodded vehemently. "I mean, let's face it. Hera just grants her allies bonus stats, Athena does some decent physical damage but Ares does more, Demeter is an intro pack card, and the only reason why anyone would use Aphrodite's card is because her splash art is pretty. But you? Not only do you have the highest magic damage output, but you also have complete immunity against magic damage. _Complete immunity!_ Cards like Circe or Medea are completely nullified and useless against you! _"_

Throughout his speech, Hecate seemed to grow more and more pleased with each goddess named. "I see. What is your name again?"

"Nico."

"Nico. How do you feel about joining the Titan lord?"

Nico frowned. "What?"

Pan stared at her. "Now wait a minute. Why are you trying to recruit him?"

Hecate sighed. "Can't you see he's extremely intelligent?" She turned to Nico. "Tell me. Do you feel any resentment towards your godly parent for abandoning you?"

Tears welled up in Nico's eyes. "I. . ." he sniffled. "I. . ."

Being able to cry on demand was extremely useful when dealing with teachers who didn't have the patience to comfort a sniveling kid and instead would walk away in disgust, allowing Nico to get away scot-free.

He took a few hesitant steps forward, looking down. "I didn't want him to leave me. He abandoned us," he said in a voice filled with a faux sadness and hatred. Or maybe it was a _her_. Nico couldn't remember.

Hecate bought it. "Don't worry," she said soothingly as she walked forward. "I understand completely. Nico, I will promise you this. If you join us, then no child would ever be abandoned by their parents again. There will be no more stupid Ancient Laws preventing us from interacting with our children."

"Really?" Nico asked hopefully, taking another step forward. Just a few feet left. . .

She closed the distance, placing her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Really."

Nico looked up at her before his eyes widened in horror and fear filled his gaze. "Behind you!" he screamed.

Pan and Hecate whirled around -

And Nico struck. He grabbed his concealed knife and stabbed it into Hecate's side.

 _She's a goddess_ , he told himself. _Not a human. A goddess who was about to hurt the Hunters. Sure, they suck and all, but they don't deserve to be captured and hurt. She's not going to die from this._

Golden ichor splattered out as Hecate screamed in pain and agony, throwing out her hand. Nico was blasted back from an unseen wave of energy, slamming into a tree and groaning in agony.

Hecate stared at him with pain and betrayal in her beautiful green eyes. "You - " she winced as she held her hand to her stomach, trying to staunch the bleeding.

"Hecate!" Pan reached out and steadied her. He turned to look at Nico, anger in his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

Nico backed away slowly, holding up his knife threateningly. Golden ichor dripped down the blade. "The best way to counter an illusion is to attack the card creating the illusion."

Pan frowned. "You're speaking nonsense. What do you mean by - " he froze as the tip of a bronze sword touched his neck.

"It means," the Hunter said, her gaze murderous, "that we were able to break free of the Mist."

Pan bleated nervously. "Hey, we can talk about this - " he quickly let out another blast of unholy sound. This time the Hunters were prepared for it and its effects were greatly diminished. However, it was still enough to get the Hunter to lower her knife and step back in fear, giving Hecate enough time to snap her fingers and enveloping them in green mist.

A second later, they were gone, dematerializing out of existence.

Nico grinned in exhilaration. It worked! He did it!

Honestly, it had been a massive gamble. There was a high chance that his plan would fail. However, Nico wagered that being stabbed would break even a goddess's concentration temporarily, enough time for the Hunters, who had thousands of years of experience in everything supernatural, to break through the illusion. Of course, he had to lower Hecate's guard first to get close enough to her, but that's what Mythomagic was for.

Then all of his euphoria disappeared immediately when the Hunters pointed their bows at him, their eyes narrowed.

A Hunter stepped forward. Phoebe, Nico recognized. She was the one who broke the Stoll twin's bones. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

Nico returned her cold stare with a smug grin of his own. "I was looking for you guys. Now then. . . shall we discuss terms?"

She frowned. "Excuse me?"

Nico smirked. "Well, it wouldn't look very good for the Hunters of Artemis if word got out that they had to be saved by a _boy_ , would it?"

The Hunters exchanged glances, growing looks of worry appearing on their faces.

"I mean, here you are, super awesome fighters who've trained for thousands of years, but you had to be rescued by a mere ten-year-old _boy_ ," Nico continued, his smug expression almost unbearable at this point. But hey, they took Bianca away from him. They deserved this. "I wonder how long it would take for your street cred to recover. Decades? Perhaps even centuries?"

Phoebe stared at Nico with an intense stare that almost made him back off. Almost. Phoebe finally relented and sighed, making a hand signal that caused the other Hunters to lower their bows. "What do you want?" Phoebe asked in resignation.

Nico's grin widened. Time for negotiations. "First off. . ."

XxX

The ground under Bianca, Percy, and Thalia's feet dissolved into shadows and they dropped through, Percy and Thalia screaming out various Greek obscenities and Bianca just flat-out screaming. The ground solidified immediately after them, returning to normal as if nothing had happened.

Zoe whirled around. "Bianca!" she shouted.

"Zoe!" Artemis shouted at the same time. "Atlas!"

Atlas's form began glowing a bright grey. Zoe leaped away immediately, landing next to Naruto. "Close your eyes," she hissed. "Actually, no. Get out of here _now_."

"What?" Naruto protested. "I - "

"He's entering his divine form!" Zoe drew his bow and showered arrow after arrow onto Atlas, all of which had no effect. "You'll die from being in his presence alone. Please, leave _now!_ "

"But you'll die too - "

" _And that is my fate!"_ Zoe's dark eyes were wild. "'One shall perish by a parent's hand _.'_ I joined this quest knowing I would die - but you don't have to."

Naruto glanced over and he felt his heart clench at what he saw in Zoe's eyes. Fear. Anger. But also acceptance.

She accepted the prophecy. She accepted her fate. And she accepted that she would die by her father's hand.

"Find and regroup with the others," Zoe continued, backing up slowly as Atlas's form glowed even brighter, gripping her sword tightly. "Make sure you - "

"No," Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. We'll defeat Atlas, together."

Zoe shook her head. "It's pointless. I'm going to die on this quest. There's no changing fate - "

"There is," Naruto asserted determinedly. "If you don't like your fate, don't accept it. _Change it_. And even if _you_ might accept it, I won't - and if I have to, I'll change it for you!"

Zoe made a sound of frustration. "You're still young. You're one of the few good male heroes I've met. You don't need to die now."

"Don't worry, I won't," Naruto responded simply. That was a lie. He might. But for Zoe's sake, he'll have to try.

He wasn't going to let another one of his friends die when he could've prevented it. He won't let another death like Neji's occur.

Never again.

"Naruto," Artemis spoke up for the first time since their argument began, her gaze sad and sorrowful. "Listen to Zoe. Leave." Uttering those words seemed to physically pain her.

Naruto was silent for a moment.

_Hey, Kurama, how confident are you that we'll be able to survive into an instakill disintegrating area-of-effect attack?_

**. . . I'm gonna need a little more to go on here. How does the attack work?**

_No idea, to be honest._

Kurama snorted. **Then I can't exactly come up with an answer then, can I?**

_Then let's just hope for the best. I mean, I'm half god, half chakra. Should be fine._

**You're half** _**what** _ **now?**

_Long story, I'll explain later._

"Sorry, Artemis," Naruto smiled. "But I'm staying. I'm not going to give up. I'm not going to run. And I'm most certainly not going to let Zoe die." Naruto grinned at Artemis as Atlas's form became blinding, signifying that he was mere seconds from entering his divine form. "I swear it!"

A massive wave of devastating power exploded out from Atlas as he entered his divine form. He emanated an intense energy that slammed into Naruto with the force of a Bijuudama. Naruto felt a sensation on his skin that he couldn't quite describe, as if his very molecules were being scrambled up.

Nope. Naruto slammed his eyelids shut immediately. He'll stick to long range attacks for now. He wasn't risking it.

Next to him, Zoe also tensed up. However, even though she was looking straight at Atlas, she wasn't dying.

"How are you not dead?" Naruto asked.

"My mother is a river goddess," she responded, though her voice was strained. "I can withstand Atlas's divine form for some time, but eventually, he will overwhelm me. My divinity is extremely weak."

"Ahh," Atlas let out a sigh of satisfaction as he stood up. "It's been thousands of years since I've entered my divine form. You have no idea how good this feels."

Relying on his other senses, Naruto could tell that Atlas was still a humanoid being. Two arms, two legs, a head. . . if it wasn't for the tremendous power radiating from his form, Naruto would think Atlas was just a human.

"Why did it take so long for you to enter your divine form?" Naruto asked. If there was a time delay, then Naruto wanted to know for future battles. He had been a shinobi, after all, and shinobi loved information about enemy attacks.

"Entertainment," Atlas answered simply. "The conversation you and my daughter had was amusing, and I was curious if you were going to leave or not. Personally, my money was on you staying; you don't seem like the type of person to leave their friends."

Despite himself, Naruto grinned. " _Thank you_."

"After all," Atlas continued, "You are remarkably stupid. Leaving would have been too smart for you."

The smile melted off of Naruto's face, replaced with a scowl. "Yeah, I was only going to beat you up a bit before, but now, you deserve a complete and utter smackdown."

**Overconfidence or arrogance?**

_A bluff, actually._

**Ah, I see.**

Atlas laughed. "Oh, you are truly amusing. You still think you stand a chance?"

Naruto tilted his head. "For sure. As long as I keep my eyes closed and I stay out of your range of death, then I should be fine." Atlas's death aura range appeared to be about two meters - that was where the power felt the strongest.

"You can still run, you know," Zoe muttered, a bead of sweat trickling down. "I won't hold it against you."

"You won't, but I will," Naruto held his hands up in a cross-shaped seal. "Let's win this - " he paused. "By the way, where is Percy, Bianca, and Thalia?" he called to Atlas.

Atlas shrugged. "I can't exactly enter my divine form with those three around, could I? Those three are valuable. I'm not allowed to kill them."

Naruto nodded.

"As such, I just had to wait for my subordinates to manipulate the Mist and extract those three from the battlefield before I could fight for real. Othrys has an extensive underground tunnel system, you see," Atlas explained. "They're down there right now, fighting against some old friends."

"But enough time for talking," Atlas lowered into a stance. "You injured me numerous times already. It's time I returned the favor."

Naruto jumped back immediately as Atlas blurred forward. His chakra arms extended and battered Atlas with three Rasenshurikens, but Atlas simply charged through them.

Zoe met him head-on. Atlas punched and Zoe sidestepped before Atlas smirked and elbowed to the side with his extended arm, attempting to crush Zoe's skull. Zoe immediately dropped to the ground in a crouch, spinning while doing so, and redirected her momentum into a horizontal sword slice aimed at the back of Atlas's neck.

It was an elegant counter, one that even Sasuke would've approved of. The Celestial Bronze sword cut into Atlas's neck - and then Zoe was blown back as Atlas simply snapped his fingers, releasing a pulse of energy. Naruto quickly extended a chakra arm to catch Zoe, lowering her to the ground gently.

She breathed heavily, exhausted. It appeared that even though both her parents were immortals, fighting Atlas still took its toll on her. Naruto didn't blame her. Atlas's aura affected even him from this far away _through Kurama's chakra cloak_. Naruto still had that uncomfortable sensation on his skin, and he had no doubt that if he wasn't in Kurama Chakra Mode, his skin would be steaming by now from the extraordinary energy, and he wasn't even in Atlas's range of death yet.

It appeared he had no choice. He breathed in as he prepared to -

If it weren't for Atlas right there, Naruto's eyes would've snapped open in surprise. As it was, a sharp intake of breath still escaped him.

_How is that possible?!_

Damn it. This wasn't good. There was no time to dwell on it though; he'll have to deal with it later.

"You okay?" Naruto asked Zoe in concern, ignoring the confusion and slightest hints of panic suddenly surging through him.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

Atlas strolled forward, completely unconcerned. His posture was relaxed, as if he was taking a walk through the park. "Now then. . . which shall I kill first? The lieutenant of Artemis. . . or the son of Artemis?"

Zoe's eyes widened. "What did you say?!"

Before Naruto could respond, Atlas took advantage of the small distraction and dashed forward. The ground shook under their feet and cracked from the force. Naruto jumped up as Zoe leaped back to avoid Atlas. Naruto began forming another Bijuudama -

Then he froze. Or more accurately, _time_ around him froze.

Naruto couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.

 **What in the name of the Sage?!** Kurama roared in shock as he pumped his chakra through Naruto's body.

 _Kronos_. The Titan of Time. Naruto had thought he was too weak to interfere with mortal affairs, but apparently he had gathered enough strength to manipulate the time of a single person. More importantly, it appeared that the Titan Lord had deemed Naruto enough of a threat to personally aid in dispatching him.

Damn. Damn damn damn. Naruto released a massive pulse of chakra, attempting to dispel the spell like he would dispel a genjutsu. No effect. It was like when Kaguya pulled him into the gravity dimension, only Atlas and Zoe didn't seem to be affected at all. He was completely isolated.

Atlas materialized in front of him with a burst of speed, reaching out and forcibly prying open Naruto's eyelids, as if wanting to see the life fade from Naruto's eyes.

And Naruto came face to face with divinity itself.

XxX

Percy landed on his feet, wincing from the impact. One second he was standing back, watching a one-sided fight in which Naruto utterly destroyed Atlas with a purple ball, and the next second he was falling into a hole that wasn't there a moment before.

He looked up, expecting to see a large open space because he had free-falled for about five seconds, which is longer than one might expect, but instead he was met with a ceiling just a few meters above his head. It was like the Labyrinth all over again. It appeared that going back up wasn't an option anymore.

He glanced around. Thalia and Bianca were next to him, thankfully. They stood in a well-lit room, torches lining the wall. There weren't any doors and windows - they were trapped in. The walls were composed of the same black marble material that the ruins were made of.

Percy didn't focus on that, however. Instead, his eyes narrowed at the person standing in front of them. Beside him, Thalia's eyes widened in shock and she actually lowered her guard somewhat.

"Luke?" she whispered.

Luke Castellan grinned at them. "Hey there, Thalia." Short, sandy-blonde hair. Mischievous blue eyes. A scar that ran from the bottom of his eye down to his chin. Unlike the last time when Percy had seen him when Luke had worn a button-down shirt and khaki pants - fashionable but not very good for combat, Luke went for a more sensible outfit for combat: T-shirt and shorts.

"You look terrible," Thalia immediately replied. She was right; Luke's usually tan skin was now ghostly pale and he had multiple grey streaks running through his hair.

Luke chuckled. " _That's_ the first thing you say to me after we haven't seen each other for _years_?" He ran his hand through the grey streaks in his hair. "I won't argue though. The sky. . . it took its toll on me." He smiled. "But you still find me devilishly handsome, don't you?"

Percy's jaw dropped. Was Luke. . . was Luke _flirting with Thalia?_

Thalia scoffed, her shock slowly turning into anger. "You know, I have quite a lot of questions for you, Luke Castellan."

"You're mad at me," Luke observed.

Thalia's eyes flashed. "Wow, what made you think that?"

"You called me by my full name," Luke noted. "You only do that whenever you're really really mad." He paused. "Don't tell me you're mad at me because I betrayed Olympus."

Percy had to physically hold Thalia back, grabbing her shoulders and preventing her from charging Luke. "Thalia, he's baiting you!"

"I am not," Luke looked offended at the very idea. "I don't understand why you would be mad at me, Thalia. Don't you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? The gods only bring misery and suffering upon us," he snarled. "They abandoned us, they _betrayed_ us first."

Thalia hesitated before a steely look entered her eyes. "I don't care about that. You didn't just betray Olympus. You betrayed _us_." She clenched her fist. " _Family,_ Luke. We were a _family_."

Luke flinched slightly. "Sacrifices must be made for the greater good," he finally said. "And I'm sorry. But it doesn't have to be that way. If you join me, it'll be like the old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world."

" _Sacrifices_?" Thalia hissed in rage. "I heard about what you did last summer. Annabeth nearly _died_ because of you. Is that what we are now? _Sacrifices?_ " Sparks of electricity leaped from her fingers, and Percy could smell the distinct scent of ozone.

Luke realized his mistake. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. Besides, I had faith in Annabeth. She wouldn't have died." He sighed when he saw that his words weren't getting through to Thalia. "Thalia, please. Just join me." He waved his hand and a pond ringed in black marble appeared. "Just call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you."

Thalia blinked, confusion temporarily overtaking anger. "Ignoring the fact that you can now apparently conjure up objects, you realize that the Ophiotaurus is with Poseidon right now, right?"

Percy nodded. "Dad is personally guarding him right now."

Luke shrugged. "Don't ask me how it works. It's magic. However, just know that the Ophiotaurus will appear if you wish for it," He turned to Thalia with a pleading look. "Thalia, you will be more powerful than the gods if you summon the Ophiotaurus. Just call him, sacrifice him, and then join me. Please."

For one scary second, Thalia had that hungry gleam in her eyes again, and Percy genuinely thought that she might accept his offer. Then Bianca stepped forward and rested her hand on Thalia's shoulder.

"Don't you remember what you promised to do?" Bianca murmured. "You said you would defeat him in battle, chain him up, inflict massive amounts of pain onto him, and then finally try to convince him to - well, you know."

Thalia stirred from her trance.

"You promised to do _what_ now?" Luke asked incredulously, backing up slowly.

"And _you_ ," Bianca turned onto Luke with a fierce glare. "I admit, I don't know the full circumstances surrounding you. But I do know that you betrayed your friends and family, and you are undeniably evil."

"Evil?" Luke's face twisted. "The gods are evil, Bianca di Angelo. Have you not seen what they've done? The misery and suffering they've caused? Trust me, right now, they may seem all good and righteous to you. But give it a few years, and you'll truly understand. We're just their tools. Do you think that Hades truly cares about you?"

Bianca nodded confidently. "Yeah. I do."

"How?" he demanded. "Wait, let me guess. He gave you a little gift, then he spoke a few words of encouragement?"

Bianca paused. "How do you - "

Luke laughed bitterly. "Because that's exactly what my father did to me, Bianca. Showed up one day when I was, err, breaking into the camp store, gave me some stupid winged shoes, said that he was proud of me. Then when I failed my quest. . . nothing. He did _nothing_ for me. Tossed me out like yesterday's garbage."

"You're kinda forgetting the fact that Hermes asked me to watch out for you and try to bring you back during the quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece," Percy said.

Luke waved his hand dismissively. "Oh please. That means nothing. The point is. . . well. Thalia, Percy, Bianca. The children of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Join me, and together, we shall overthrow the gods and bring about a new era of peace and prosperity. A better world."

A moment of silence.

"You aren't Luke," Thalia spoke up, her voice filled with sadness and sorrow. "I don't know you anymore."

"Thalia," Luke pleaded, and for a second his gaze softened and his eyes were impossible gentle. " _Please_."

Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as if the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him and join him. Then she leveled her spear at him. "Percy, Bianca," she spoke in a whisper. "Stay out of this."

Luke sighed before flicking his hand. His sword, Backbiter - half Celestial Bronze, half steel, capable of killing both the divine and mortals - appeared out of nowhere and Luke lowered into a stance. "Before we battle though, I have just one question."

"What is it?" Thalia asked.

"Why are you guys so early?"

Percy blinked. " _That's_ what you're asking?"

"It's been on my mind for the past hour or so," Luke confessed. "I mean. . . it just seems _wrong_. The winter solstice isn't until _tomorrow_. You guys are a whole day early. I mean, are you guys even demigods?"

Percy opened his mouth to respond but then froze when Thalia began laughing. As in, full-blown laughter.

Luke watched her with a small genuine smile that Percy hadn't ever seen on his face before, even before Luke defected and pretended to be Percy's friend. Luke seemed. . . younger, almost. Brighter. Happier.

After a while, Thalia's laughter slowly subsided. She regarded Luke with a sad smile. "I'm glad to see that at least _some_ things never change."

Luke grinned. "Of course."

For a moment, they just gazed at each other, and Percy got the sense that they weren't really looking at each other but rather remembering happier memories of a time that would never come back.

And then Thalia charged.

XxX

Naruto smiled widely when absolutely nothing happened. His gamble paid off. Atlas's divine form didn't affect him at all. Of course it wouldn't - he was half Bijuu chakra, half goddess. He wasn't mortal; the divine form should have no effect on him whatsoever.

Then his body fell to the ground. But he stayed up in the air.

_What?!_

Naruto glanced around, surprised. He was floating in the air, and when he looked down, he could clearly see his body collapsed on the ground, unmoving. How was he flying? Did he accidentally form a shadow clone or something?

_Kurama? What just happened?_

No reply. Nothing.

Something was wrong. Wrong on epic, perhaps even legendary proportions. Naruto had grossly miscalculated something. But what was it?

Was it Atlas's divine form? No way. Just to be sure, Naruto looked directly at Atlas. Atlas radiated an intense grey light and waves after waves of power and energy still emanated from him, but other than that, Naruto suffered no ill effects. What the hell?

The facts connected in his mind and formed an unpleasant conclusion. His body was on the ground. He was flying even though he wasn't in Six Paths Sage Mode. He couldn't hear Kurama. And judging by how even though he was right in front of Atlas's head, Atlas didn't take any notice of him, he was probably invisible to everyone. Existing as nothing but a soul.

He may actually be dead.

Wait.

_Was he a ghost right now?!_

"First blood in this war," Atlas smirked triumphantly, "goes to me."

There was a moment of absolute silence.

Zoe's eyes widened in shock before sadness filled her gaze. She had already seen too much death in the past few thousand years, though, and was used to it; she took only a second to grieve before a new anger entered her eyes.

"Congratulations, _Atlas_ ," she spat, saying _Atlas_ as if it was particularly foul. "You had to resort to using your divine form to kill a mere demigod. Are you proud of yourself?"

Atlas shrugged. "Hey, I was honorable once. Trusted your little boyfriend. Got stabbed in the back for it. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. A win is a win."

"Naruto?" Artemis spoke up softly, fear and uncertainty in her voice, as if refusing to believe that Naruto was dead.

"He's dead," Atlas said bluntly, a smirk on his face. "Are you going to cry, Artemis? I need a camera for this."

 _I'm alive!_ Naruto wanted to scream. But even though his mouth moved, no sound came out. He had no physical form.

Artemis stared at Naruto's lifeless body hollowly, disbelief slowly turning into despair. "No. . ."

"The look on your face right now is delightful," A ruthless smile spread on Atlas's face. "I wonder how you would look when I kill my daughter next - "

He paused when an intense golden light suddenly flooded the mountaintop, even brighter than his divine form. The air became superheated as some sections of the ruins burst into flames from the blistering heat. Atlas shielded his eyes from the light with his hand, genuine confusion on his face. "What in the name of Tartarus?"

Atlas's eyes widened as the sun grew closer and closer to the top of the peak. "Oh - " he managed to mutter a single Greek curse before the sun chariot crashed into him, sending dust and rubble flying everywhere as Atlas hit the ground once more.

Zoe took advantage of the diversion and quickly sprinted to Artemis's side, kneeling by her. "Lady Artemis," she said tentatively. In all her years serving her mistress, Zoe had never seen such a look of despair on Artemis's face.

"Zoe," Artemis whispered quietly. "Please, can you please take my burden?"

Zoe nodded without hesitation, instantly stepping next to her, bracing herself on one knee, holding up her hands, and touching the cold, heavy clouds. Her muscles protested immediately as an impossibly heavy weight settled upon her form.

Artemis slipped out from under the sky, entering her divine form as she did so; she radiated an intense silver light the same color as the moon. A pair of hunting daggers materialized in her hands.

The door to the sun chariot - a red Maserati - opened and Apollo stepped out. His expression was deadly serious as he too entered his divine form, radiating an intense golden light the same color as the sun. His eyes blazed with fury and anger as he gazed at Naruto's unmoving body, a hint of sadness and regret in his expression.

Atlas recovered quickly, extracting himself from under the sun chariot and leaping out of the crater, his posture defensive as he eyed the twin gods. He backed up a bit to put some distance between them.

"Hey sis," Apollo greeted quietly.

Artemis inclined her head. "Apollo," she murmured. "Cover me." Apollo nodded as his golden bow materialized in his hand.

She initially hadn't wanted to be with Naruto. At all. She had been foolish. When Hestia made her realize her mistake, she thought that it had been too late, that Naruto already hated and resented her for abandoning him. But she was wrong. He defied her expectations and forgave her far easier than he should have. He was much like Hestia in that regard.

After that, Artemis had grown to care for Naruto. A _lot_. She hadn't expected the level of affection she would have for him - but then again, Naruto seemed to have a habit of defying her every expectation and assumption. He was kind. Funny. Respectful - at least to her. Sure, he was a bit loud sometimes and he ate a little too much ramen, but other than that, Artemis genuinely enjoyed being with Naruto. He never failed to brighten up her day and bring a smile to her face.

And now, he was dead. Whatever Naruto was, there was no possible way he could've survived seeing Atlas's divine form. His red blood was proof of that.

Artemis's only child was torn away from her and she hadn't been able to do a single thing about it.

Naruto was gone.

Her despair slowly turned into a primal _rage_ as she walked - no, _stalked_ forward, silver light coating her hunter daggers.

She was the huntress, and Atlas was the prey.

And it's time she showed him what it's like to be hunted.

XxX

He paused, his black wings fluttered in agitation. Something felt. . . _wrong_. He couldn't explain it, but. . .

Oh well. He'll deal with it later. For now, he has a job to do. Souls to reap, and all that.

XxX

Unsurprisingly, Thalia was winning.

She was the daughter of Zeus, she had Aegis, which constantly broke Luke's concentration and filled him with an irrational fear, and her spear gave her the advantage of range. Not to mention how Luke was probably still recovering from holding up the sky.

Luke may be the best swordsman in a century, but against Thalia, he couldn't do anything. He was forced onto the defensive, and hadn't landed a single blow on her so far, whereas Thalia had already inflicted a nasty slice on Luke's leg, blood steadily trickling out.

"You've gotten better Thalia," Luke breathed heavily, his forehead glistening with sweat.

Thalia didn't respond, instead charging him again. Yellow lightning gathered at the tip of her spear which she thrusted forward, and Luke's eyes widened before spinning to the side, evading the spear. "Are you trying to kill me?" he demanded incredulously.

"You and I both know that it wouldn't have hit you," Thalia narrowed her eyes as she swung her spear in an arc. Luke blocked it with his blade, grunting before stepping forward and punching Thalia in the stomach. Thalia intercepted his fist with her shield and there was a _clang_ as Luke's hand collided with the hard metal.

Luke hissed in pain before leaping back, gaining some distance. ". . . yeah, this isn't working out," he said. "I only came here to try to convince you guys to join me. Not to fight. I'm outta here."

Then he turned around and fled, a hole opening in the wall in front of him. Thalia ran after him immediately, Percy and Bianca close behind her. Although Percy had a slightly different objective than Thalia.

Thalia wanted to go defeat Luke.

Percy just wanted to find Annabeth. "Hey Bianca," he murmured. "If you see a blonde-haired girl with grey eyes, let me know, alright?"

Bianca nodded. "Got it."

XxX

Artemis lunged forward, her form a blur. Atlas met her head-on, blocking her slice with his elbow and attempting to kick her in the chest. Artemis dodged with an unbelievable grace, leaping upwards and flipping over his head, landing behind him.

Atlas turned around - and was promptly shot in the back of the head with an arrow that lodged itself in his skull. He growled and pulled it out - and then the arrow exploded, releasing a concussive wall of sound that briefly knocked Atlas off balance.

Artemis immediately stabbed him in the stomach with her knife, twisting it, before jumping away once more as Atlas grabbed at her. In the air, she let go of her knives as her silver bow formed in her hand and she unleashed a hail of arrows that slammed into Atlas. Atlas merely sighed, pulling out the arrows, his wounds immediately healing afterwards.

And then Artemis was in front of him again, forcing him backwards with a flurry of strikes. She effortly dismantled his defenses and constantly cut him over and over again. Apollo interspersed Artemis's strikes with arrows of his own, his aim true every time. They pierced Atlas's skin and afflicted him with symptoms of diseases: necrosis, lesions, spasms, itching, paralysis.

However, it was all useless. The wounds on Atlas healed almost immediately after they were inflicted. Apollo cursed under his breath. Atlas's regeneration was notorious.

There was a reason why the war between the Titans and the gods lasted ten whole years even though there were less than twenty fighters, give or take. Kronos, Atlas, Hyperion, Iapetus, Koios, and Krios versus Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, and the three Hundred-Handed Ones. Quite simply, nobody would stay down. Fatal wounds were healed up in seconds, and each side struggled to come up with a way to permanently incapacitate the other.

Fortunately, Apollo didn't have to permanently incapacitate Atlas; he only had to force him back under the sky. And it appeared that despite Artemis's rage, she understood that as well because she was slowly but surely leading Atlas back to Zoe Nightshade, who was watching the fight intently.

"If I were you," Atlas said, "I would just give up - " he gurgled as Artemis spun around and sliced his throat. It healed up in a few seconds. "How rude. As I was saying, you should just give up. You're not going to defeat me."

Artemis narrowed her silver eyes. " _Watch me_ ," she snarled before thrust-kicking him. Atlas stumbled backward and then another arrow slammed into him; a Greek fire arrow this time that blasted him back.

Atlas laughed insanely, waving aside the dust. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time." And then he switched to the offensive, a Stygian Iron spear appearing in his hand. He advanced, pressing Artemis. She was fast, but his strength was unstoppable. Artemis was well aware that if she was hit by a single strike, then it wouldn't go well for her.

Her gaze cold and calculating, she avoided every strike with an effortless grace. She tilted her head to the side to avoid a thrust before performing a back handspring, pushing off her hand and twisting in the air to dodge Atlas's punch. She landed soundlessly before bending back to evade a spear swing.

Then Atlas smirked and stomped his foot. The ground shook under them and Artemis briefly lost her footing. Atlas capitalized on the opening immediately and raised his spear to stab down -

"No!" Apollo shot ten arrows at Atlas at once, but Atlas simply raised his hand and all the arrows were blasted back by a wave of energy. Fortunately, that was long enough time for Artemis to get back onto her feet and disengage.

Atlas growled in frustration before charging Artemis again. She stood there, twin daggers at the ready. At the last possible second, she jumped to the side, twisting in the air, blocking Atlas's hasty spear swing, before _pushing_ off a section of the air that suddenly solidified, leaped behind Atlas and _kicked_ Atlas in the back with all her might.

She backflipped off as Apollo's arrows _curved_ in the air and slammed into Atlas's back as well. She recognized Greek fire arrows, sonic arrows, arrows filled with his godly power. . . and then they all detonated in unison. A multicolored explosion of green, gold, and red.

The combined momentum and force of Atlas's charge, Artemis's kick, and the explosion was enough to blast Atlas off his feet and send him hurtling forward - straight at Zoe Nightshade.

"No!" Atlas yelled and released another wave of divine energy to cancel out his momentum. He skidded to a stop just a few inches in front of Zoe. He breathed a quick sigh of relief before smiling. "That was close - "

His eyes widened in panic as a golden blur _slammed_ into him, driving a purple sphere into his chest. "How - " he gasped in shock and confusion as the immensely dense sphere of balanced chakra exploded and blew him back. Zoe rolled away instantly as Atlas crashed down to the ground and the sky dropped onto him, crushing him flat.

Atlas roared in pain and fury. " _NO!"_ he bellowed, shaking the mountain itself. " _NOT AGAIN!"_ But it was too late. Once more, he was trapped underneath the sky. He was forcibly taken out of his divine form by the presence of Ouranos, the grey light dying down. A litany of Greek curses flowed out of his mouth.

Zoe breathed heavily as her muscles burned. All her attention was focused on the person standing in front of her though. "Naruto?" she breathed. "How?"

Artemis materialized in front of them, reverting to her mortal form. "Naruto! You're okay - " she froze.

Apollo strolled forward as well, grinning. "Good work, Naruto. I honestly thought you died - " he paused when he caught sight of Naruto's eyes. "Oh dear."

"You're not Naruto," Artemis murmured. "You don't feel like Naruto." Her eyes narrowed. " _Who are you_?" she demanded.

Naruto stared at them with red, slitted eyes. His expression was alien and undecipherable, an expression they had never seen on Naruto's face before. He regarded them with a cold wariness instead of his usual warmth. " **The name's Kurama."** His voice was different; deeper.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak but stopped when she realized she _recognized_ this aura. It was the exact same one she had felt on the night Naruto had been born. This was _him_. Artemis snarled in rage, her silver eyes glowing. "I see, so that's how it is. You wait until he's dead, and then you take over his body. Is he your mortal vessel? Is that it?"

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "Artemis, are you saying that. . ."

Artemis nodded. "He's the one that night."

Fury entered Apollo's eyes once more as an arrow materialized in his hand and he aimed it at Kurama. "You shall die," he promised as golden light gathered at the tip of the arrow.

Kurama looked at them both before sighing. " **Alright, two things. First off: I don't even** _ **know**_ **you. Second: Naruto isn't dead."**

Artemis froze, the slightest bit of hope entering her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Kurama stared at her as if she was a lower life form. " **He's right there,** " he said dryly, pointing off to a spot in the air. " **Can't you sense him?** "

Artemis turned to look but there was nothing there. Her anger returned with a vengeance. "Is this a _joke_ to you?" she hissed. "I swear on the River Styx itself - "

"Artemis," Apollo interrupted, his eyes glowing a little "The Mist. Soul layer."

Artemis frowned but complied as she entered a deeper layer of reality. This was the layer where demigod dreams take place, their astral projection allowing them to go practically anywhere and observe, imperceptible unless someone looked past the Mist. This was the layer where Thanatos collected the souls of the dead, which is why the gods typically referred it to the soul layer, or dreamwalking layer.

And her eyes widened.

Naruto was right there, floating in the air, looking _really_ confused at the proceedings.

"Naruto!" she called.

He blinked. "You can see me?"

Artemis smiled in relief and happiness. "Yes. I can."

Naruto grinned. "Awesome. So uhh. . . I have no idea what's happening right now."

"You didn't die correctly," Apollo laughed. "How did you manage that?"

Naruto smirked. "I'm just that good."

"Is Naruto there?" Zoe asked hesitantly.

Artemis nodded. "His soul is." While Artemis and Apollo could easily enter deeper layers of the Mist because they were gods, Zoe's divinity wasn't strong enough. She wasn't a goddess, after all. Currently, Artemis and Apollo occupied both the normal layer and soul layer of reality.

It was comparable to being in a pool. If Artemis walked on water, then Zoe could see her from the land. However, if Artemis stepped into the water and it came up to her waist, then both Zoe and Naruto, who was under the surface, could see her. Zoe couldn't see Naruto because the water was reflective, but Naruto could see Zoe. Of course, it was more complicated than that, but that was the gist of it.

"Alright, come down," Apollo commanded. "Let's get you back into your body."

Naruto nodded and was about to move down but then froze and stared at Apollo suspiciously. "For some reason, I don't trust you."

Apollo placed his hand on his heart, wounded. "What? Why?"

Naruto thought of all the things he had done to Apollo in the past several days and floated up, putting more distance between them, just in case. "No reason, really."

Apollo crossed his arms. "You realize you'll have to come down someday."

"Try me," Naruto challenged.

"Naruto," Artemis said.

Naruto relented. "Fine. But I expect you to stop him before he tries to eviscerate me."

He drifted down and stood in front of his body. Kurama occupied it currently, and even though he couldn't see Naruto, he was staring right at him; probably due to negative emotion sensing or Sage Mode or something.

"So how do I return to my body?" Naruto asked Apollo.

"You'll have to kiss yourself," Apollo replied with a straight face.

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled.

Apollo nodded, completely serious. "Haven't you heard of the powers of the kiss? The legendary Sleeping Beauty was awakened through a kiss - "

"Apollo," Artemis chided.

Apollo held her stare for a moment before sighing dejectedly. " _Fine_. So I wanted some blackmail material. Sue me." He rubbed his chin, staring at Naruto. "Honestly, I have no idea what to do right now."

". . . aren't you the god of healing?" Naruto asked.

"I mean. . ." Apollo scratched his head. "I already gave my son Asclepius jurisdiction over most of my domain of healing. I retained enough power to bring a person back from the brink of death, but the second their soul exits their body and they're actually dead. . ." he shrugged.

"Ah. You're useless then," Naruto said simply.

Apollo's eyes flashed. "That's it. Naruto, prepare to face the unbridled wrath of the god Apollo. I shall - "

"You shall what?" Artemis cut in dangerously.

Apollo paused. "I shall. . . deliver my threats when you're not standing right next to me?"

Artemis nodded. "Better."

Naruto took a deep breath before walking into his body. Hey, it might work. The second his ghostly hand touched his body's chest, there was a flash of silver light.

XxX

"Found her!" Bianca yelled. Percy rushed over immediately.

Annabeth was in a cell, sitting on a chair. Blonde hair with streaks of grey in it, just like Luke. Grey eyes. She smiled when she saw Percy. "Hey Seaweed Brain. You're late."

"Annabeth," Percy whispered, relief in his gaze. He looked over the cell. "Where's the door?"

"There isn't one," Annabeth answered. "They just waved their hand and the bars would appear/disappear."

Percy blinked before shrugging and cutting the metal bars with Riptide. The Celestial Bronze sword cut through the steel like butter.

Annabeth squeezed through the opening. "Where's Luke?" she asked.

"Thalia's fighting him right now," Percy reassured her. Annabeth's eyes widened in shock before she rushed off.

"She knew Luke too?" Bianca asked.

Percy hesitated. "It's a long story. The three of them ran away from home and survived on the streets together." Then he ran after her, Bianca behind him.

They emerged in another circular room, torches lining the walls. Luke had multiple new gashes - one on his arm, another on his side, and another on his lower leg. Thalia was still completely uninjured, fighting like a demon. She was a blur of movement as Luke tried to defend from her onslaught.

Percy would've cheered her on if it weren't for the tears in her electric blue eyes.

Next to him, Annabeth watched the fight, biting her lip. "He's not going to win - " her eyes widened as Luke stabbed his sword forward. As expected, Thalia blocked it with her shield. She raised her spear to counterattack and instead of backing off, Luke snarled and _rushed forward_. He tilted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the spear thrust.

And then he was inside Thalia's guard. At this close range, her spear was useless. Luke feinted with his sword, Thalia raising her shield to block, and then Luke spun around in a burst of speed and suddenly he was about to cut Thalia's unprotected side. An upward diagonal cleave that would've been lethal.

"No!" Annabeth screamed.

Luke hesitated just before he struck. And that was his mistake. Thalia's instincts took over and with an inhuman speed, swung her spear at Luke. The spear shaft crashed into Luke's head and knocked him off his balance, causing his strike to miss and instead slice Thalia's arm.

 _Unfortunately_ , this caused Thalia's arm to involuntarily twitch. Ordinarily for most humans, this wouldn't be a problem, but for the daughter of Zeus with superhuman strength combined with an ultra-sharp spear. . .

A sickening sound.

Red splattering out.

An absolute silence descended onto the battlefield.

Luke looked down. Thalia's spear had pierced his chest, right over his heart. Blood flowed out, bright red. Arterial blood. "So this is the end, huh?" he chuckled weakly.

Horror filled Thalia's gaze. "Luke, no no _no_! I- I didn't mean - _Luke!_ "

Luke smiled, and for once there wasn't a hint of bitterness or hatred in it. "Don't worry, Thalia." He coughed out blood. If he wasn't a demigod, he would surely already be dead. He turned to Annabeth. "I. . . I'm sorry, Annabeth." Luke looked back at Thalia again, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Thalia. . . I. . ."

And he fell back, the spear sliding out of his chest and bright red blood spraying into the air, landing on the ground with a thud.

Thalia stood there, frozen, her face grief-stricken.

"Luke!" Annabeth rushed forward, but then stopped when a person suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. No. Not a person. He wore a suit and he had scars on his face, but the power he radiated. . . he was undeniably a Titan.

The Titan observed Luke's body with his eyebrows raised. "That's unexpected," he said before turning to them and saying, " _Out_."

Holes opened underneath them again and they dropped into the shadows.

XxX

Naruto glanced down at his hands before patting himself. Solid. He tried to fly, and nothing happened.

Just to be sure, he called, _Kurama?_

 **Brat,** Kurama replied. **You scared me for a second there.**

Naruto grinned. He was alive again.

"Did it work?" Apollo asked, staring at Naruto critically.

"Yup," Naruto responded. "I'm back - "

His eyes widened as Artemis stepped forward and hugged him. Her small form was trembling slightly. Naruto hugged her back, breathing in her familiar scent.

**Aww, this is adorable.**

_Shut up._

"I thought I lost you," Artemis whispered.

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry. I'm not that easy to get rid of."

After a moment, Artemis pulled back and Naruto could've sworn he saw a tinge of gold in the corner of her eye, but the next second it was gone. Naruto exited Kurama Chakra Mode and Sage Mode, the golden chakra cloak disappearing and his eyes returning to normal.

Zoe gasped.

Naruto looked at her, confused, before realizing. When he was in Kurama Chakra Mode, he had been covered in golden chakra. But now that he was back to normal, Zoe saw his true form, without a Henge. Silver eyes. Auburn hair.

"That's right," Zoe breathed. "Atlas called you the son of Artemis." She paused, as if afraid to ask the question. "Lady Artemis, is Naruto. . ."

Artemis hesitated for a second before nodding. "Yes. He's my son."

Zoe's eyes widened in shock but before she could say anything, Percy, Bianca, Thalia, and Annabeth appeared out of nowhere. Thalia and Annabeth had tears on their faces. Over what, Naruto didn't know.

"Sis, we should leave," Apollo said nervously, glancing around. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

Artemis nodded. "Very well."

"Wait," Percy held up his hand. "Before we go. . . can I, err. . ." he gestured at Atlas, who had crawled onto his knees by now.

Artemis frowned. "Okay?" she nodded, curious to see what Percy would do.

Percy grinned before walking forward. They watched him in confusion when he stopped right in front of Atlas. Then kicked him in the face.

"Y _ou bastard!"_ Atlas screamed in fury. "I swear, when I get out from under here, I will tear you asunder! I shall make your life a living Tartarus. . ."

"That felt good," Percy beamed.

The others looked at each other before looking at Artemis and Apollo with hopeful glances.

After a moment, Apollo chuckled. "Just one each, okay?"

Naturally, none of them obeyed him.

XxX

They were in Apollo's sun chariot, transformed into a small bus to fit all of them. Artemis and Naruto sat next to each other, and Artemis held Naruto's hand tightly, as if afraid he would suddenly disappear if she let go.

Naruto could sense the others had questions. Zoe seemed ready to burst. He had quite a lot of explaining to do.

Later.

For now, Naruto simply wanted to enjoy Artemis's presence again. Just for a minute.

XxX

"IT HAPPENED WITH ZOE'S THREAD AS WELL!"

"OH GODS IT'S SPREADING!"

"WHAT DO WE DO?!"

"WHAT _CAN_ WE DO?!"

XxX

Nico walked away triumphantly. Negotiations had gone _very_ well. He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes and immortalizing the memory.

He smiled.

 _Gods_ , being a demigod was awesome.

XxX

_Hey, Kurama._

**Yeah, Naruto?**

_It's time for us to bullshit the absolute Sage out of everyone. I'm talking about Kakashi-sensei-level bullshit here._

Kurama grinned. **Sounds fun.**


	11. Chapter 11

Once they reached cruising altitude, Apollo switched the sun chariot to autopilot and stood up, turning around to face them all.

"Alright, campers and Hunters," he grinned. "You know the drill. It's time for the post-quest debriefing."

Percy groaned in protest. He'd gone through this twice before, on his quest to retrieve the master bolt and on his _unofficial_ mission to acquire the Golden Fleece. Both times, it had been tedious, irritating, and boring. For the master bolt quest, Chiron had interrogated him, Grover, and Annabeth on every little detail that occurred on the quest, from the paint on the walls of the Lotus Casino to the location of the monsters they faced to the amount of time it took to get from city to city. And it was even worse for the Golden Fleece quest; Chiron had _discreetly_ interrogated him, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson on _everything_ , even recruiting the aid of a psychologist - an unclaimed son of Hypnos - to bring back Tyson's memories because he didn't remember everything clearly. Needless to say, for ADHD demigods, it was a veritable torture, and Percy was seventy percent sure that it was Chiron's form of revenge on them.

"Normally, I would let Chiron handle this," Apollo continued, "But. . . well, I'm sure you understand when I say this quest is of a rather _sensitive_ nature, and secrecy is essential."

At this, Percy frowned. "You don't trust Chiron? Even after what happened this summer?" Chiron had been suspected of poisoning Thalia's tree, and was forced to leave the camp. He returned, of course, once Percy maneuvered Luke into confessing in front of Mr. D through an Iris Message.

Apollo sighed. "I'm well aware that Chiron would never betray us. However, I have to follow protocol. Father's orders."

Percy's frown deepened. Sure, Chiron had his quirks and was terrifying sometimes, but despite his outward persona, Percy knew that he cared for each and every camper. After all, he personally infiltrated Yancy Academy for Percy's sake, posing as a teacher for a bunch of sixth graders. He had to grade hundreds of illegible assignments, try to teach a bunch of spoiled rich brats Latin, deal with angry parents because their kids flunked a quiz and Chiron didn't automatically apply a 30% curve - although he did receive quite a lot of money in bribes and even cut Percy in a part of the loot - and, worst of all, remain in wheelchair form for more than 10 hours a day. After doing everything he did for the demigods, Zeus _still_ didn't trust him?

Paranoid bastard.

"Now then. . ." Apollo snapped his fingers and the interior of the sun chariot morphed into a large room. There was a circular table, and a light in the shape of a ring hung down from the ceiling. A massive screen on the wall showed an image of the map of the US. "I need y'all to recount everything that happened."

Percy glanced around the room. They had all been teleported into their new seats, and Annabeth sat to the right of Percy and Naruto sat to his left. Artemis sat next to Naruto, still clutching his hand tightly - Naruto's hand was white from the pressure - and Zoe and Bianca were to the left of Artemis. Thalia sat to the right of Annabeth.

Bianca glanced between Artemis and Naruto. "Hey, umm - "

Apollo held up his hand, stopping her. "Questions after. Recap first."

Zoe nodded. "Very well."

And she began to describe the events of the quest in excruciating detail. After about ten minutes, Percy lost the fight and slumped over, his eyes closed. After twenty, Thalia and Bianca passed out as well. Only Artemis, Apollo, Annabeth, and Naruto remained wide awake and listening - although in Naruto's case, he was extremely zoned out and didn't appear to be listening.

Near the end of the retelling, where Zoe was talking about how they reached the peak of Mount Othrys and saw Naruto in a glowing golden cloak, Apollo met Zoe's eyes and telepathically reached out to her.

_Hey Zoe?_

_Get out of my mind,_ came the immediate mental reply before Zoe concentrated and expelled Apollo. Apollo pouted at her before looking at Artemis, who, after a second, stared at Zoe as well.

 _Zoe,_ Artemis spoke in her mind. _Please don't talk about the fight after Percy, Bianca, and Thalia left. Don't mention the divine forms or how Naruto died. Just fabricate something._

Zoe hesitated before nodding and continuing her retelling. She made something up about how Apollo appeared and Zoe took the sky and the twin gods defeated Atlas, but neglected to mention the divine forms and Naruto's death.

One hour after she began talking, Zoe finally finished. ". . . and then we got into the sun chariot, thus concluding the quest."

"Thank you, Zoe," Apollo flashed her a dazzling smile.

Zoe raised her eyebrows. "No _sweetheart_ this time?"

Apollo winced, glancing at Artemis, who suddenly gained a dangerous gleam in her silver eyes. "What? I have no idea what you're talking about." He quickly looked around the room, frowning before snapping his fingers. A loud klaxon blared, startling Percy, Thalia, and Bianca awake. Or rather, it startled Percy and Bianca awake - judging by how Thalia calmly opened her eyes, she hadn't been sleeping at all.

"SUSHI IS FISH CRUELTY - " Percy blinked as he regained his bearings. "Oh."

"Alright, Percy," Apollo grinned. "Tell us what happened down there."

Percy hesitated, looking at Thalia and Annabeth. "Umm. . ."

"We fought Luke," Thalia interrupted, her expression downcast. "He died. End of story."

Apollo frowned. "Come on, you know that's not how it works. I need to know everything - "

"Apollo," Artemis cut in, looking at Thalia and Annabeth in concern. "We can find out later."

Thalia shot her a grateful look.

Apollo tilted his head but shrugged. "Alright then. Let's see. . . did we miss anything?"

Percy seemed to shrink into his chair.

Apollo snapped his fingers. "That's right. Percy, you still need to tell us how you joined this quest in the first place."

Percy hid his groan. "There's not much to tell. Blackjack found me in the middle of the night, we tailed the van they were in, Dionysus ambushed us and gave us a few threats before letting us go, and by the time we caught up, a black helicopter the same model as the one at Westover Hall was hovering above the van. So I attacked, Blackjack kicked in the windshield, I saw there were skeletons piloting the thing, then the helicopter crashed. And I joined up with the quest."

Apollo scrutinized Percy before shrugging. "Okay then. Naruto, your turn." Percy breathed a sigh of relief. It appeared that Apollo was _nowhere_ near as anal retentive as Chiron.

No response. Naruto stared blankly off into space, his gaze unfocused and vacant.

"I believe he's sleeping with his eyes open," Apollo examined Naruto critically. "Percy, slap him on the back of the head for me, will you?"

Naruto's gaze focused instantly. "Please don't," he said dryly. "What do you want, Apollo?"

"Tell us what happened once you split with the group after the manticore attacked."

Naruto shrugged. "I tracked Artemis down - I could sense her. However, I wasn't able to get through to her until I realized that the Mist was separating the realities, and once I realized that, the Mist dispersed and I entered the Garden - "

"What?" Apollo interrupted, leaning forward. "That's impossible. The Mist only works like that for illusions."

"It does?" Percy asked, confused.

Zoe sighed. "Either you're a terrible student, or Chiron hasn't been doing his job. The key to seeing through illusions generated by the Mist is awareness. If you _know_ that something's off, then the illusion will lift by itself."

Apollo nodded. "Exactly. However, the Mist on Mount Othrys is a bit different. Rather than creating an illusion around the Garden and the summit, the locations were quite literally lifted out of this world and into a deeper layer, one that only gods are able to access freely."

"Awareness has nothing to do with that sort of Mist," Zoe continued. "Trust me; I was definitely aware that the Garden and summit were there, but that wouldn't allow me to bypass the Mist."

"Indeed," Apollo directed his gaze at Naruto. "And yet, for some reason, you were able to enter the realm."

Naruto shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I have no idea what happened. I'm not complaining though."

Apollo sighed. "Of course. Not only did you manage to do the impossible, but you don't even know how you did it."

Naruto smiled. "Theory never was my strong point. In any case, after I entered the Garden, I immediately made my way to the top of the mountain and engaged in battle against Atlas." His hands balled into fists. "He was the second most _frustrating_ opponent I have ever fought against."

"Who was the first?" Percy asked curiously.

"Apollo," Naruto answered, narrowing his eyes at the god in question.

Apollo's hand flew to his heart dramatically. "Me?!"

"Apollo?" Percy asked confusedly.

Naruto nodded, his expression dead serious. "Tell me, Percy. Have you ever played Super Smash Bros before?"

Apollo suddenly looked _extremely_ smug.

Percy blinked. "A few times before."

"Then can you imagine playing against someone who has their _eyes closed_ and is controlling the controller _with their mind?!_ " Naruto seethed in rage. "It's the most _blatant_ form of cheating that I can think of."

"You take that back," Apollo immediately responded, eyes narrowed. "It's not cheating. Besides, there isn't a single rule that states that I _can't_ control it with my mind - "

"That's because the rules were written for mortals,not for gods!" Naruto shot back. "It's an _implied_ rule. Super Smash Bros is a hand-to-eye coordination game, and using your mind completely defeats the purpose!"

"You're just salty because you're a Pikachu onetrick," Apollo smirked. "Whereas I am equally proficient in _every_ character."

Naruto crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, this Pikachu onetrick managed to defeat you twenty times in a row even _with_ your cheats, so you can't talk."

Apollo sighed. "For the last time, I was _drunk_!"

"Yeah, but you were also cheating, so it balances out," Naruto replied dismissively. "Besides, I recall defeating you plenty of times afterwards when you were sober."

"And, as a doctor, I already pleaded temporary insanity for those times."

"Overruled!" Naruto snarled.

"You can't overrule a doctor's diagnosis - you know what?" Apollo glared at Naruto. "Fine. Once we get the council meeting over with: you, me, best out of twenty."

"Deal," Naruto returned determinedly. "Have the caffeine and sugar ready."

"If you two are done," Artemis cut in, "then shall we continue?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ah, right. So anyway, where was I. . ." he drummed his fingers on the table. "Atlas and I fought. And nothing. Would. _Work_. He possessed incredible durability and resilience, and his regenerative abilities were. . . well, needless to say, I had never seen anything like it. He shrugged off attacks that should've quite literally disintegrated him on a molecular level."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Apollo nodded. "He's a tough bastard."

"And that's pretty much it," Naruto finished. "A _lot_ of attacks were ineffective, including but not limited to: Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, Big Ball Rasengan - "

Percy snickered.

" - Planetary Rasengan, Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan - "

"That's enough. We get the idea," Apollo cut in. "Dear gods are you _horrible_ at naming things. Should've let me do the honor."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What, would you prefer I named my techniques something like _Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three?"_

Apollo brightened. "That sounds _brilliant!"_

"Figures," Naruto muttered, although he couldn't prevent the small reminiscent smile from appearing on his face. Apollo and Minato probably would've gotten along.

"Alright, that concludes the post-quest briefing," Apollo announced. "And now. . ." a grim look appeared on Apollo's face. "Question time."

A moment of silence. The calm before the storm.

"Explain," Zoe demanded, looking at Artemis. Perhaps it was impudent of her to speak this way, but she didn't care. Not right now. Not when the thousands of years of trust she had in her mistress was just destabilized entirely.

Before Artemis could speak, Bianca spoke up. "Is Naruto your brother?" she asked Artemis.

Artemis blinked. "Come again?"

"I mean," Bianca's eyes flickered back and forth between Naruto and Artemis. "He looks _really_ similar to you. So I thought. . ."

An understandable mistake. In fact, if Percy didn't know any better, he would think Artemis and Naruto were siblings as well. They were both about the same height, since Artemis was currently in her normal twelve year old form; they looked like brother and sister.

Artemis's lips quirked up. "I see. No, he's not my brother. Naruto is my son." Her declaration was met with silence. "I didn't break my oath though," she continued hurriedly, looking at Zoe. "He was born through essence combination."

Zoe's eyes widened before she bowed her head. "I apologize for doubting you. Please, forgive me."

Artemis smiled. "No worries, Zoe. I understand completely."

"If I may ask. . . who?"

Artemis hesitated. "I don't know." A lie.

"Essence combination?" Bianca asked confusedly. "What is that?"

"Gods can have children without the actual intercourse," Artemis explained.

"Why they would want to skip the best part, I have no idea," Apollo muttered.

Artemis shot him a scathing glare. "For example, Athena is a maiden goddess, but she still has children due to essence combination. She combines her thoughts with a mortal's, essentially creating a 'brain child'. It's how Annabeth was born."

Annabeth nodded mutely. Percy frowned in concern. While both Annabeth and Thalia had stopped crying and their tears had dried, they still had identical looks of grief and sorrow on their faces, Thalia especially. Percy didn't blame them. As much as he disliked it, he knew that they were both extremely close to Luke. Percy didn't really know what to say to make Annabeth feel better, so he just reached over and squeezed Annabeth's hand. She squeezed back.

Bianca nodded slowly. "Okay then."

Apollo snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. Daughter of Hades, hmm?" He inspected Bianca carefully, noting the quiver full of Stygian Iron arrows with slight distaste. "So Hades broke the oath too - "

"Perhaps not," Zoe cut in. "Bianca and Nico were trapped in the Lotus Casino for the past seventy years or so, during FDR's time. I think they were born before the oath was made."

Thalia bolted upright, shock momentarily overcoming her grief. "Wait." Her eyebrows scrunched up in concentration before realization dawned. "Hades didn't break the oath," she whispered disbelievingly.

Percy blinked. "Whoa. I think you owe him an apology."

"Oh, the sheer irony," Apollo chuckled before his gaze sharpened. "Do you enjoy killing small animals?" he questioned Bianca.

"What?" Bianca looked taken aback. "No, of course not!"

"Do you feel remorse? Empathy?" Apollo continued. "If you killed another human being, would you regret it?"

Bianca stared. "Yes, I would! Why are you asking me this?"

Apollo's eyes glowed golden briefly before he smiled again. "Just checking. Hades's children have a tendency to go off the deep end, you see. Fortunately, it appears that you're one of the rare ones, Bianca. You seem reasonably well-adjusted and sane. Although if you ever feel the urge to break out into maniacal laughter, please let us know."

"Who were Hades's other children?" Bianca asked tentatively.

"Hitler. Napoleon. The first Hassan-I-Sabbah," Apollo listed out.

Bianca paled at the first name. "Oh."

"Yeah. Don't worry though," Apollo added reassuringly. "Don't let your parentage define you. I mean, there have been plenty of terrible children of Zeus and Poseidon over the centuries - Percy and Thalia not included, of course." He flashed her a grin. "From what I've seen so far, you seem great."

"Thank you?" Bianca replied hesitantly.

Apollo looked as if Christmas had come early. "You're welcome!" he beamed.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "You're just encouraging him," she told Bianca.

"There is one thing I don't get though," Percy cut in, frowning. "If I'm not mistaken, several lines of the prophecy didn't come true yet. Should we be worried?" His gaze darkened. "I don't want a repeat of two years ago." On his first quest, a line of the prophecy came true _after_ the quest was completed. Typically, this wouldn't be a problem; however, in Percy's case, it had resulted in him getting stung by a pit scorpion which was about a thousand times more painful and lethal than it sounded.

Apollo tilted his head, as if listening to something. Then he frowned as well. "Huh. I. . . I actually don't know. The prophecy appears to be - what?" He tapped his head a few times. "I don't understand."

Artemis frowned in concern. "What's wrong?"

"I. . ." Apollo trailed off as his eyes glazed over somewhat before focusing again. "This is. . . slightly concerning. Give me one second."

He snapped his fingers and a prism materialised in the middle of the air, forming a rainbow. "Yo Iris, can you get me a direct line to the Fates?"

" _Please deposit a golden drachma,"_ An automated voice replied.

"Just add it to my tab."

A second passed before an image formed in the rainbow of a woman with brown hair and blue eyes.

Apollo grinned in greeting. "What's up, Pepromene? Hey, can you - "

He was interrupted as the woman screamed out, "APOLLO! WHAT IN THE NAME OF TARTARUS HAVE YOU _DONE_?!"

Apollo blinked. "What?" He paused as he registered the sound of pure pandemonium and crackling coming out from behind the woman. "Is there a problem?" He craned his head to get a better look, but the woman leaned forward, her expression livid, obstructing his view of the background.

"Is there a problem?" Pepromene repeated before muttering out some Greek curses. " _A problem?_ You ask if there's a _problem?!_ "

"I assume that's a yes?" Apollo ventured.

Pepromene took a deep, calming breath. "Bianca di Angelo. Zoe."

Apollo glanced at the two Hunters in question, who looked just as confused as he was. "They're right here."

" _They shouldn't be_ ," Pepromene snapped. "The Fates cut their strings."

Apollo staggered back in shock. "What?"

"The Fates. Cut. _Their strings,_ " Pepromene growled, clearly agitated. "They should be _dead_. _One shall be lost in the land without rain. One shall perish by their parent's hand._ On top of that, their _threads themselves have disappeared_! Their current existence defies the prophecy, the laws of the world, and _fate itself_! What in the name of Gaea and Ouranos did you _do,_ Apollo? Was this some sort of sick joke?"

"What? Why would you think this was _my_ fault?" Apollo asked, offended.

"You've been off the grid for the past couple days," Pepromene shot back.

"Yeah! Because I've been helping out with the quest - unofficially, of course," Apollo responded before pausing and asking tentatively, "How are the Fates doing?"

Pepromene stepped to the side. "Look for yourself."

Behind here, three old women with silver hair tied back into bandannas were frantically rushing around a room filled with threads. Hundreds, thousands, _millions_ of them hung around the room - on the ceiling, on the table, on the ground. Flames crackled in a bronze altar in the middle of the room, similar to the altar at Camp Half-Blood where demigods sacrificed their food. Their eyes glowed an eerie white as they scrambled around muttering Ancient Greek.

"Are they enchanting the threads?" Apollo asked in confusion.

Pepromene nodded. "They're currently using every single protective and defensive magic known to the gods - charms, wards, enchantments, spells. They'll probably ask the council for assistance as well during the council meeting."

"But. . . why?" Apollo asked, mystified.

Pepromene's eyes flashed. "Did you miss the part where I said that Zoe and Bianca di Angelo's threads _literally disappeared before their eyes_? Needless to say, they wish to prevent that from occurring in the future."

Apollo nodded in understanding before frowning as one of the Fates rushed to the bronze altar and tossed a slip of paper into the flames. "And they're. . . burning paper now?"

Pepromene rolled her eyes. "They're sending out messages to all their contacts to try to figure out exactly what the Hades is going on. Given how half their contacts live in Tartarus, Iris Messaging isn't exactly going to work, so they have to use the primitive communication method of sacrificial flames."

"Huh. I've never used that method before - although I don't really know anyone in Tartarus." Apollo shrugged before calling out, "Hey, Clotho!"

No response from the Fates. They gave no indication that they heard anything.

"They have a field around them right now," Pepromene explained. "One way only. They can't see or hear us, but I can look in just in case there's an emergency so I can call for help. They need perfect concentration for their magic."

"I have never seen so much emotion on their faces before," Artemis murmured. _"_ They're typically cold and emotionless. But now, they look so. . ."

"Panicked? Alarmed? Perturbed?" Pepromene suggested.

Artemis nodded silently.

Pepromene sighed. "Yeah. Are you sure you don't know who did this?" she asked Apollo.

"I haven't the faintest idea," Apollo replied truthfully. "But I assure you, it's not me - " he froze before turning around and staring straight at Naruto, who stared back with an innocent expression.

". . . I'm going to have to IM you back," Apollo said distractedly.

"What? Apollo, don't you dare - "

Apollo waved his hand through the Iris Message, dispelling it. He took several deep, calming breaths before saying in a tight, controlled voice, " **Naruto** _ **.**_ **"**

"Okay, I _swear_ it wasn't me," Naruto instantly replied.

" _ **Naruto**_ **."**

"I _swear_ to the gods it wasn't me."

" _ **Naruto**_!"

"I _swear_ to you and mom that it wasn't me."

Apollo narrowed his eyes. "Promise?"

Naruto nodded vehemently. "Promise."

Apollo held his gaze for a second before relenting. " _Fine_. I'll believe you. . . for now."

"Umm. . ." Bianca spoke up tentatively, "Does that mean Zoe and I should be dead?"

Apollo hesitated before nodding. "Yes."

"Fate itself was defied," Zoe murmured. "The prophecy didn't come true." She whirled on Naruto. "You mentioned something about changing fate. Did you know this would happen?"

Naruto held up his hands in defence. "I didn't do anything, for real."

Zoe nodded slowly before looking at Apollo. "Are we immortal now?"

Apollo shook his head. "No. Just because your thread disappeared doesn't mean that you will no longer die; it only means that the Fates no longer have any control over _how_ you die. . . or your fate and destiny, for that matter."

There was a moment of silence as the information sunk in.

"That's awesome!" Naruto grinned brightly.

Zoe, Apollo, and Artemis stared at Naruto incredulously for a moment. Probably because they were the oldest in the room and knew of the so-called importance of the natural laws and natural order of the world. But quite frankly, Naruto was of the opinion that if the _natural laws_ stated that a person's destiny and fate must be controlled by another, then it's a terrible law and is meant to be broken repeatedly. And so his grin didn't even waver.

"To answer your question, Percy, I don't think you have anything to worry about from the prophecy," Apollo told him. "Because according to my senses right now - " he paused, bewilderment flashing across his face. "The prophecy appears to be _negated_ , for a lack of a better word."

Percy smiled. "Good."

Apollo snapped his fingers. "Speaking of which, that should be enough time. Thalia, Bianca, Percy, Annabeth, ready to talk about what happened down there yet?"

Percy hesitated, looking at Annabeth and Thalia once more. Fortunately, their shock and grief had dwindled down to controllable levels, and after only a moment's pause, Thalia began to speak.

"After falling through the hole in the ground, we landed and came face-to-face with Luke Castellan, the son of Hermes. . ."

XxX

"And then the Titan said 'out' and holes appeared under us again, we fell through, and we appeared next to you guys. And that's it," Thalia finished. She had left out almost no details, and even though she wavered several times while describing what happened with Luke, not a single tear escaped. Whatever faults she may have, Percy could not deny that she was exceptionally strong, both in body and mind.

Apollo was silent for a moment. Then he broke out in a grin. "Congratulations, Thalia! You killed that traitor - "

"Brother," Artemis cut in disapprovingly.

"What?" Apollo defended. "Look, Thalia, I know you feel terrible and all, but let's face it. Luke was a traitor to both Olympus and his friends. By killing him, you saved lives."

Naruto twitched. He _would_ have argued, but he realized that anything he said would only make Thalia feel worse, and so he kept silent. He did have _some_ tact, after all.

Thalia glared at Apollo. ". . . forget it."

Apollo clapped his hands together. "Well then, I think we're finished." He snapped his fingers and the interior of the sun chariot reverted back into a bus and they were teleported back into their seats. "Alright, let's head to Olympus," he called to them, disengaging the autopilot.

"Olympus?" Bianca asked curiously.

Apollo nodded. "You're going to have to appear in the council meeting tomorrow anyway, so might as well be efficient. I'll let you guys crash in my temple for the night." He grinned. "Besides, you all risked your lives to rescue my little sister. The least I can do is reward you a bit and surround you in the finest luxury you have ever seen."

Percy pursed his lips. "Is your temple better than the Lotus Casino Hotel?"

Apollo laughed. "Percy, the Lotus Casino Hotel was _based_ off of my temple."

Percy grinned. "In which case, it's a deal."

XxX

Naruto observed Mount Olympus with curiosity. It hung suspended in the air above the Empire State Building. Even at night, torches and fires made the mountainside palaces glow twenty different colors, from bloodred to indigo. Gods didn't sleep, after all.

Apollo dropped them off in front of his temple before both he and Artemis vanished in a flash of golden and silver light respectively, presumably to go talk to Zeus and perhaps Athena.

Naruto glanced around. Their arrival had drawn the attention of nature spirits and minor gods who were already gathering around, staring and whispering at them - or, rather, at _him_. He hadn't bothered to reapply the Henge since his secret was already out. He massaged his hand distractedly, trying to restore the circulation.

They headed into the temple, the defensive charms allowing them through. Unlike Apollo's man cave/mansion, which was simplistic, homely, and overall _chill_ , Apollo's temple was extravagant and lavish. A grand hall with crystal chandeliers hanging down from the ceilings, a solid statue of Apollo standing triumphantly with a bow in hand, majestic marble columns with murals on the wall depicting Apollo's numerous victories over the years. A traditional Greek temple, albeit with several add-ons.

They didn't care about that, though. The second they entered, they immediately headed to the very back, past the altar and statue, and raided the kitchen.

XxX

Approximately half an hour after they settled in - Annabeth and Thalia were talking in hushed whispers and Percy and Bianca were watching Hephaestus TV - Artemis entered the temple.

Naruto sat unnaturally still on a couch, his eyes unfocused and staring off into the distance. Zoe sat next to him, casting glances over at him every few seconds, her gaze uncertain, as if she didn't quite know what to think of him.

"Naruto," Artemis called. Naruto straightened instantly and alertness returned to his gaze. "Come. We have much to discuss."

He hesitated before nodding. The others glanced over momentarily before resuming their activities.

Naruto followed Artemis, navigating the twisting streets and ignoring the numerous eyes on them both. While several people bowed, the vast majority stared at them disbelievingly, as if they had heard the rumors but didn't believe them.

And Naruto didn't miss the stormy grey eyes that tracked them both.

XxX

They entered Artemis's temple, a simple traditional temple just like the pantheon at the very top, only smaller in scale. Her true home was the forests, and her temple reflected that - the inside had only the bare necessities; a statue, an altar, and nothing else. Artemis rarely spent any time in her temple - or on Olympus in general.

Apollo was already inside, waiting for them. "Alright, Naruto," he said grimly. "You have quite a lot of explaining to do."

Naruto blinked innocently. "I do?" Kakashi Lesson #7: Always deny everything.

Apollo raised his eyebrows. "Breaking Aphrodite's spell. _Coming back from the dead_."

"Not to mention _Kurama_ ," Artemis added, her eyes narrowed. "Who is he? How did he take over your body?" She paused. "Why did you lie to us?" she added softly.

Naruto was silent for a moment. "I think it would be best if this conversation included Kurama," he finally said.

Apollo and Artemis both tensed up.

"What do you mean?" Apollo asked cautiously.

Naruto's lips quirked up. "It means," he began, "that my mind is wide open."

XxX

They materialized in a clearing within a forest. A full moon shone brightly overhead, casting a silver glow over things.

And a massive fox with nine orange tails and slitted red eyes stood in the middle of the clearing, observing them with a bored gaze.

"Mom, Apollo," Naruto said brightly, "Meet Kurama."

To their credit, Artemis and Apollo only froze up momentarily - from shock or fear, Naruto couldn't tell - before they regained their composures. Artemis stepped forward, her eyes cold. An aura of intense silver light surrounded her, shining brightly like the moon overhead. "Who are you?" she demanded.

XxX

"First things first, we have to make it so that Artemis no longer wishes to extirpate you."

" **Since when did you know what the word 'extirpate' meant?"**

"I have two languages hardwired into my brain. Hey wait, how do you know Greek and English?"

" **No idea."**

"Huh. Let's go with magic. In any case, how can we accomplish that?"

" **Hmm. . . On a range of zero to ten, how mad is Artemis at me?"**

"What's ten?"

" **Kakashi seeing his limited-edition personally signed special Icha Icha book with bonus images burned in front of his eyes."**

"Twenty three."

" **That bad?"**

"Worse. Just be thankful that you're a chakra beast with no reproductive organs."

" **. . . that better not mean what I think you meant."**

"I'm just saying, you better thank Super Sage Gramps for not giving you anything down there."

Kurama sighed. " **Brilliant."** He paused. " **Speaking of Hagoromo, why didn't you go into Six Paths Sage Mode the second Atlas entered his divine form? The old man gave you that power to be** _ **used,**_ **not to collect dust."**

"I was going to _,"_ Naruto rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "But. . . okay, so in my defense, you have to realize that I was extremely hesitant in entering Six Paths Sage Mode."

" **What? Why?"**

"Mostly because I'm not entirely sure how strong the gods of this world are, but I'm willing to bet that Six Paths Sage Mode would put me at or near the top. And given how the King of Olympus is more paranoid than a Mist ninja on hallucinogens. . . I'm fairly certain that if he found out how powerful I truly am, then there's a good chance that it would result in war."

" **I'm flattered you think so highly of us, but just you and I against Olympus doesn't count as an actual** _ **war**_ **\- "**

Naruto shook his head. "It won't just be us two. Artemis will take my side. Apollo will take Artemis's side. Poseidon, Hera, and Athena would probably jump at the chance to put Zeus in his place. A civil war on a scale unlike anything seen before in this world's history would rage and tear the world apart as nature itself undergoes battle. I refuse to let that happen."

" **Zeus. . . he's the guy who throws lightning bolts, correct? We could take him."**

Naruto sighed. "Once again, we lack information. If we have a more accurate understanding of their abilities and powers, perhaps. But until then, we can't act."

" **Can't you just look through the myths?"**

Naruto snorted. "I've long since stopped trusting the old myths. I'm not exaggerating when I say there are easily fifty different contradiction versions of a single event."

" **Ah, I see. It's just like how human history labeled me as a mindless monster."**

"Pretty much, yeah. So anyway, I was already hesitant to enter Six Paths Sage Mode. Not to mention how, you know, my abilities are really destructive, and I didn't want to accidentally collapse Mount Othrys. Considering how the sky is being held up there, it would've been _bad_. However, I _had_ been going to enter Six Paths Sage Mode if the Bijuudama didn't work. . ."

" **But Kronos froze time before you could use the Bijuudama,"** Kurama summarized. " **And then you were killed."**

"Yeah. I hadn't expected a time freeze at all. I can't believe Kronos deemed me enough of a threat to see to my death personally," Naruto grumbled.

" **We're just too important,"** Kurama sniffed imperiously.

"There's also the small matter of fact that, err, the Six Paths Sage Mode may not even allow me to survive the divine form."

Kurama's eyes flashed. " **What? You realize that Six Paths Sage Mode is a** _ **divine**_ **transformation, correct?"**

"Same word, different meaning," Naruto countered. "Divine in this world does not equal divine in the Elemental Nations. Kaguya is a goddess, but she wouldn't be considered one in this world."

" **Oh right. I forgot about that."**

"In any case, we have to figure out how to pacify Artemis." Naruto frowned in concentration.

" **I suppose I could always show her my true power and intimidate her into backing down** _ **,"**_ he suggested.

Naruto shook his head. "I'd prefer it if you two could get along."

" **Ah, yes. We are your parents, after all - "**

" _NO YOU'RE NOT! BACK OFF!"_

Kurama chuckled. " **Then what do you propose we do?"**

Naruto hummed in thought. Then he smirked. "We just have to make it clear that you two are on the same side."

XxX

A wave of suffocating Killing Intent blasted out from Kurama. The overwhelming, oppressive air bore down upon them as corrosive chakra leaked out, causing Artemis and Apollo to both tense up. A sudden heavy presence weighed down on them, the bloodlust of the beast once known as hatred incarnate. " _ **PUNY GODDESS!"**_ Kurama roared, his deep voice reverberating through the clearing. Wind blew around the clearing from the sheer force of his voice. " **HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY CHAKRA?!"**

Naruto winced. Kurama may have been a tad bit too melodramatic there.

Artemis paused, incomprehension and bewilderment appearing on her face. Perhaps not. Naruto smirked inwardly. _Perfect._ Artemis's rage and anger was temporarily subdued.

"Damn it, Kurama!" Naruto exclaimed. "I already told you: _she didn't do anything_!"

Kurama turned on Naruto with an angry stare. " **Who else could it be then? Last I checked,** _ **she**_ **is your mother."**

"Hold on a second," Artemis said slowly. "You're saying. . . that _I_ stole your chakra?"

Kurama nodded.

"But that can't be right," Artemis frowned.

" **Why not?"**

Artemis stared at Kurama. "Because _you_ stole _my_ essence."

Kurama snorted. " **If you think I want your essence, you're sadly mistaken."** He paused. " **Are you sure you didn't steal my chakra?"**

Artemis shook her head. "I did not."

Kurama turned to Naruto. " **I sense the truth in her statement. It appears you were correct."**

"Told you," Naruto huffed.

"Hold on," Apollo interrupted, frowning. "Exactly _what_ is going on here?"

Naruto opened his mouth, prepared to deliver some bullshit explanation -

Then he paused as he truly _looked_ at Apollo and Artemis. Their body language and the way they had positioned themselves between Kurama and Naruto to protect him; the anger, wariness, confusion, but most importantly _fear_ in their eyes, not for themselves but rather for Naruto; they _cared_ for him.

They were his family.

And for the first time since he was reborn, indecision rippled through Naruto.

XxX

" **Why can't we just tell them the truth?"**

"No _,"_ Naruto replied immediately and without an ounce of hesitation. "Definitely not."

" **Why?"** Kurama asked.

Naruto was silent for a moment. "I mean. . ." he laughed bitterly. "What am I supposed to say? _Oh, by the way, I'm actually a reincarnated twenty-year-old ninja from a different dimension, and I had been lying to you all this time._ Yeah, that's gonna go well for sure."

Kurama didn't say anything, instead looking intently at Naruto.

Naruto looked down. "Also. . ." he whispered in a nearly inaudible voice, "I don't want to be looked at differently. Treated differently."

Kurama understood immediately.

" **That's different,"** he stated simply. **"The villagers - and humanity in general - were largely composed of idiots. Besides, they were all** _ **terrified**_ **by my majestic strength and power. They left you all alone because they were scared witless of me - and by extension, you. However, Artemis and Apollo are your** _ **family**_ **."** He tilted his head. " **Do you really think they would let this affect their view of you?"**

Naruto hesitated. "I don't know. And I don't want to find out."

Kurama nodded. " **I see. So you're a coward. You don't want to face the truth, so instead you're running away from it."**

"I'm not," Naruto denied forcefully.

" **You are. You're afraid of admitting the truth. And so instead you lie and deceive."** Kurama tilted his head. " **That is not the Naruto I knew or admired. And that is most certainly** _ **not**_ **the Naruto I became partners with - "**

"I just want to have a normal childhood," Naruto interrupted harshly. "You know, the one _you took away from me_."

Naruto regretted saying those words the moment they passed his lips. Kurama froze up, his red eyes disbelieving and even a little _hurt_ before he seemed to deflate into himself, glancing away and mumbling quietly, " **Oh. I see."**

"I didn't mean that," Naruto said guiltily. "I - I'm sorry."

" **I know** ," Kurama responded. He sighed regretfully. " **Very well. If you wish to continue living a facade, then I will not stop you.** "

XxX

But as he stood there, doubt clouded his mind.

As much as Naruto wanted to deny it - or rather, outright ignore it, he knew on an instinctual level that Kurama was right. He _was_ running away from the truth. He _was_ afraid of how everyone would react. An irrational fear that probably stemmed from his childhood as a Jinchuuriki.

Naruto liked how things were right now with Apollo and Artemis. And he didn't want to risk changing it for the worse. It's why he hadn't said anything for the past three years; it's why he hadn't revealed his origins to _anyone_. Because whenever he even _considered_ telling them, fear and uncertainty would silence him.

There was a chance that Apollo and Artemis would accept him and not let their view of him be affected. But there was also a chance that they would begin treating him differently. Treating him _negatively_.

Naruto didn't want to take that chance.

However. . .

 _Artemis and Apollo are your_ family _._

_So you're a coward, running away from the truth._

_That is most certainly_ not _the Naruto I became partners with._

Kurama's words echoed in his head, preventing him from beginning his monologue. It would be _so_ very easy to just give them a fabricated story to preserve the status quo. And yet. . .

He glanced at Kurama, who stared back with an indecipherable expression. His gaze then shifted to Artemis and Apollo.

They were his _family_.

Naruto gritted his teeth before tensely walking forward, past the twin gods who looked at him with surprise.

"Naruto?" Apollo asked warily, looking at Kurama as if afraid the massive fox would suddenly decide to have a meal.

He didn't respond, instead continuing moving forward until he stood right in front of Kurama. Then he turned around, Kurama's giant form towering over him. Naruto took a deep breath, mentally steeling his resolve. Then he smiled at his mother and uncle and said in a strong determined voice, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And I'm not from this dimension."

Artemis and Apollo's eyes widened in unison, but Naruto wasn't focused on that. Instead, he glanced up at Kurama who looked down with a grin, pride in his surprisingly warm red eyes.

Naruto grinned back.

XxX

He gave them a highly abridged version of his life. Konoha, Team 7, the Akatsuki, the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and finally Kaguya and Kurama's jutsu. Throughout it all, Artemis and Apollo just stared at him, seemingly having forgotten about Kurama, their expressions growing more and more incredulous.

". . . and I died," Naruto finished. "But then I got better. Kurama used a technique to save me that was _supposed_ to send our souls back to the past and meld with our old bodies. . ."

" **But it failed and sent our souls across dimensions instead,** " Kurama continued with a grimace. " **Unfortunately, Bijuu chakra is unable to create a habitable human body by itself, and so the technique automatically reached out to the nearest being - Artemis. After which, it combined my Bijuu chakra with your divine essence, resulting in a body being created that Naruto's soul could inhabit."**

"It was a genuine accident," Naruto hastily added. "Kurama didn't mean to steal your essence. Besides, it wasn't even his fault; the technique did everything automatically." He paused. "It _was_ his fault for using a highly experimental, unstable, untested, volatile technique though."

" **You were dead, brat,"** Kurama snapped. " **Your soul was seconds away from going to Pure Land. I had to act fast."**

Naruto huffed but turned to the twin gods. "That's pretty much what happened. Any questions?"

Apollo and Artemis stared blankly at him.

"You seriously expect us to believe," Apollo began slowly, "that you're a twenty-year-old dimension-traveling world-saving resurrected _shinobi_?"

Naruto nodded. "Yup." He hesitated. "Are you mad at me? Or freaked out? Or repulsed?"

Apollo shrugged nonchalantly. "Nah, I'm cool with it."

"You are my son," Artemis said simply. "What you were before that is of no concern to me." She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Unless you were a rapist - "

"No, definitely not," Naruto denied vehemently. "Sakura would've castrated me _repeatedly_ , and Baa-chan would've helped."

Artemis nodded approvingly, ignoring the unfamiliar names. "Good. In which case, I have no problems with it."

Naruto blinked. "You're not weirded out at all? Your view of me hasn't changed? You don't feel a sudden hatred towards me or something?"

Apollo chuckled. "We're _gods_ , Naruto." He said that statement as if it explained everything - which, in a way, it did. "Besides, it was pretty obvious that you were hiding _something_. I _am_ the god of truth. I'm just relieved that you weren't channeling the dark powers of Tartarus in an attempt to become the devil incarnate."

Artemis nodded in agreement. "While it's. . . _unexpected_ that you're a reincarnated soul from another world, I don't care about that." She walked forward, placing her hands on Naruto's shoulders, her silver eyes staring warmly into Naruto's own silver orbs. "After all. . . I'm your mother." She smiled. "And it's only natural for a mother to love their child unconditionally, no matter what, you know?"

Naruto swallowed with difficulty, his gaze suspiciously bright. "Ah. Umm. . . thank you. I. . . Can I have a hug?"

Artemis laughed gently before stepping in and hugging Naruto tightly, washing away all his fears and doubts and uncertainty. They accepted him for who he was. Overwhelming relief and happiness flooded him.

He didn't have anything to worry about. His family accepted him.

And so he relaxed into the warm comfort of the embrace.

Even Kurama and Apollo didn't dare ruin the moment. For a few seconds, at least.

" **Aww, this truly is just** _ **adorable**_ **. It's too cute."**

"I know, right? Group hug!" Apollo announced cheerfully, spreading his arms and strolling forward. Artemis and Naruto immediately shot him identical glares, rooting him in place, Naruto discreetly rubbing at his eyes. Apollo pouted, his arms dropping loosely by his side.

"Anyway, this does explain a lot of things," Apollo mused as Artemis stepped back. "If your chakra is from another non-Greek-related dimension, then it would be considered a foreign entity in ours and as such our rules and laws will not apply to it. I think."

Naruto nodded. "Aphrodite's spell prevented me from altering my appearance with illusions. She had absolute control over her domain, and a normal Henge wouldn't work. However, by supercharging the Henge with a massive amount of chakra, I was able to override her absolute control."

"Do you ever run out of chakra?" Apollo asked curiously.

Naruto chuckled. "It's _theoretically_ possible, but in a real life application? No. With Kurama, my chakra is as good as unlimited."

"I see," Apollo rubbed his chin. "However. . . I'm fairly certain that your ability to bypass the laws of reality only applies to your _chakra_. This is evident by how my spells and curses are effective on you, such as when I cursed you to talk in rhyme only."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right. I think it's because I'm half-god, so I'm still bound by the rules of this world. Or rather, my _body_ is. My soul and chakra are not."

"Fascinating," Apollo murmured. His eyes gained an unholy light. Naruto recognized that light.

"No, you're not allowed to dissect me," Naruto said dryly.

"Please?"

"No."

Apollo sighed. "Fine. And I suppose this is also why you died incorrectly? Your soul isn't from this dimension, and as such it didn't go to the Underworld and just lingered around at the place where you died?"

Naruto shrugged. "That seems to be the most plausible explanation." He grinned. "I'm immune to death."

Apollo suddenly frowned. "But that makes no sense. If your body truly is composed of chakra and divine essence, then you shouldn't have red blood - " his eyes widened in realization. "Ah, I see. Your human soul."

"My what?" Naruto frowned.

Apollo adopted a lecturing stance. "As you know, gods don't have DNA. As such, we're able to have offspring that aren't human - or even humanoid. Most obvious example I can think of is Arion, the horse son of Demeter and Poseidon."

" **What**?" Kurama said flatly.

"It's possible for gods to have children with animals," Apollo continued, ignoring Naruto's gagging sounds and Kurama's suddenly alarmed look. "And our offspring would, in most cases, be the animal. If we sleep with a dog in dog form, our children will be a dog. Sleep with a horse in horse form, our children would be a horse. However. . ." his eyes flashed maniacally. "What would happen if we sleep with Kurama?"

" **Don't even fucking** _ **think**_ **about** **it,"** Kurama muttered, unleashing another blast of Killing Intent just in case Apollo got any ideas.

"I presume that Kurama is composed of _Bijuu chakra_ , correct?" Apollo asked. Naruto nodded in confirmation. "Then there you have it. Artemis's divine essence was unable to replicate Bijuu chakra, so instead it was influenced by your _mortal soul_. As such, your body gained some mortal characteristics, such as your red blood - but it also gained some divine qualities, such as your accelerated aging and _holy Zeus you make_ no _sense whatsoever!"_

Naruto blinked owlishly. "Excuse me?"

"Can we just take a step back and appreciate how big of an _anomaly_ you are?" Apollo continued, pacing back and forth agitatedly. "At first glance, you seem like a normal mortal until you consider the accelerated aging, immunity to all diseases, and an extra circulatory system. I mean, what the Hades _are_ you?"

Naruto shrugged. "No idea."

Apollo sighed heavily. "You know what - forget it. I'll just stick to what I normally do with you. As long as you don't suddenly get an urge to consume human flesh, then we're good." He turned on Kurama. "And _you_. What are you?"

Kurama hesitated. " **Now see, here's where it gets** _ **truly**_ **confusing - "**

"Never mind," Apollo responded instantly. "I'm not _nearly_ drunk enough for this."

Kurama looked amused. " **Very well then."**

"Mortal soul." Naruto mused before looking at Kurama. "My soul is Asura's. Does it even count as a _mortal_ soul at this point?"

Kurama sighed heavily. " **For the last time, it's not** _ **true reincarnation**_ **. You don't have** _ **Asura's soul**_ **, you just have a tiny, negligible amount of his chakra. If it was** _ **true**_ **reincarnation, then there should only be** _ **one**_ **soul for all of Asura's reincarnations, and Hashirama wouldn't have been able to be summoned since his soul** _ **is**_ **your soul."**

"That's not what Super Sage Gramps said," Naruto countered.

" **Naruto, are you going to trust in fundamental logic or the words of an old man who had to literally dumb himself down to your level?"** Kurama grumbled. " **He just oversimplified a ridiculously complicated process into words that you could understand."**

"Okay, that's fair," Naruto admitted.

"Your mortal soul is also the reason why you died," Artemis spoke up.

Naruto raised his eyebrows, interested. "What do you mean?"

"One common misconception about a god's divine form is that anyone who looks upon it would be reduced to their component atoms and incinerated on the spot."

Naruto frowned, confused. "Err, what? Isn't that what happens?"

Artemis shook her head. "No. People mix up the _cause_ and the _effect_ ; they think that since their body is incinerated, they die. It's the opposite; they die, and as a result their body is incinerated. A mortal body is incapable of handling the strain of their souls suddenly and inexplicably leaving their bodies, so they disintegrate. A _demigod_ , however, possesses enough divinity to maintain their structural integrity, so they would simply die, their bodies intact."

"Okay," Naruto said slowly. "I still don't get it though. If a person bursting into flames isn't the _cause_ but rather the _effect_ of dying, then what causes the actual _death_? "

Apollo rolled his eyes. " _Think_. What is death? _A person's soul leaving their bodies_."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait, you don't mean - "

Apollo nodded. "A god's divine form isn't a physical attack - it's an _attack on the soul itself_. A mortal's soul is quite literally _forced_ out of this plane of existence and into a lower layer of reality. By manifesting our true forms in this outermost plane of reality, the _mortal_ _plane_ , anything not divine is forced out by the overwhelming divinity into a deeper layer. This has the unfortunate side effect of killing the mortal."

"It's also the reason why our divine forms do not affect monsters," Artemis clarified. "Monsters do not have souls. Similarly, a nymph like Zoe would also not be affected."

"Granted, this was an _extremely_ condensed and simplified explanation. The full version took Athena five hours to fully elucidate," a haunted look appeared in Apollo's eyes. "Easily one of the worst council meetings I've ever been to. I mean, it's not as if we _enjoy_ listening to dimensional-divinity theory and the nuances and variations of the different layers reality."

Kurama tilted his head. " **I see. My soul is intrinsically tied to my chakra, and it's impossible to separate the two without a chakra-based technique, which is why I was able to remain in Naruto's body and take over temporarily."**

Naruto crossed his arms, thinking deeply. "Huh. It's kinda like Nagato's Human Path." He shrugged. "Whatever. I figured out how to negate the effects of the divine form."

Apollo blinked. "Wait, _what_?"

Naruto grinned triumphantly. "One word. _Seals_."

XxX

"You're planning to seal your soul into your body?" Artemis asked incredulously after Naruto finished explaining his plan.

Naruto nodded, grinning. "Yup."

" **Damn,** " Kurama said appreciatively. " **I take it back. You're not** _ **that**_ **stupid. This is actually ingenious."**

"I - " Apollo paused. "Would that even _work_?"

"If I do it correctly? Absolutely," Naruto replied brightly.

"Huh." Apollo hesitated. "That being said. . . we can't let any of the other gods know of this."

Naruto frowned. "Why?"

"Because the gods hate it when the natural balance between life and death isn't maintained," Apollo stated. His face darkened. "My son, Asclepius, was killed because he dared to bring back the dead with the physician's cure. If the other gods found out that you have a way to _prevent_ death altogether. . ."

"It's also the reason why we had Zoe keep quiet about how you died," Artemis told him. "Please, if you're asked any questions about the battle with Atlas, don't tell them about your death."

"Mount Othrys was cloaked from the vision of the gods," Apollo elaborated. "I doubt anyone knows what truly happened there besides you, me, Artemis, and Zoe."

Naruto nodded. "Understood. I'll keep it a secret."

Apollo clapped his hands together. "Now that that's been taken care of. . . what shall we tell the other gods?"

"We'll have to make something up," Artemis said thoughtfully. "Create a story to explain Naruto's existence and chakra." She narrowed her eyes at Apollo. "I still can't believe you let Naruto leave the mansion."

Apollo's eyes widened in outrage. " _Excuse me_? Naruto _attacked_ me and _escaped_. I didn't _let_ him leave."

"You're a god," Artemis said. "You could've easily teleported Naruto back into the mansion or performed a fly-by kidnapping with your sun chariot."

Apollo sighed. "True. But you're my little sister," he said determinedly. "And Naruto is more powerful than any camper or Hunter. If he joined the quest, then success would almost certainly be assured." He paused. "Besides, I didn't think he would be stupid enough to get his true identity be discovered."

"Hey!" Naruto protested. "How was I supposed to know that Aphrodite would dispel my illusion?"

"That's right, I had almost forgotten," Artemis paused before something akin to panic flashed across her face. "Naruto, please tell me you didn't needlessly antagonize her."

Naruto winced. "Oh. Umm. . ."

"Naruto _. What did you do_?" Artemis demanded.

" _Ikindacalledherafirstratebitchbuti'mnotsorrybecausesheisone_."

Artemis blinked. Once. Twice. She took a deep, calming breath before releasing a long-suffering sigh. "Of course. _Of course you did_."

"Anyway," Naruto attempted to redirect the conversation, "There is no need to create a backstory for me."

"Why is that?" Apollo asked.

Naruto gave a foxy smirk. "Because Kurama and I already have a _brilliant_ strategy."

Kurama smirked as well. " **Indeed. It should be more than enough to placate the** _ **gods**_ **."**

Apollo raised his eyebrows, interested. "Let's hear it."

And Naruto told them the plan.

XxX

Naruto made his way back into Apollo's temple. It had been a long day, and he really wanted to sleep. While he _could_ theoretically stay awake for more than a week surviving on Kurama's chakra, he still enjoyed sleeping. There were rooms at the back of the temple which Apollo had conjured up for them to use.

As he entered the living room - although it was so extravagant, calling it a _living room_ would be an understatement - he saw Zoe, who was still sitting on the couch. She opened her eyes, signifying that she had been wide awake the entire time.

"Yo," Naruto greeted. "Where are the others?"

"Asleep," she answered. "I was waiting for you. Let's talk." She patted the cushion next to her.

Naruto sat down cautiously. A silence descended over them. The only source of light came from the moonlight streaming in.

"You're the son of Artemis," Zoe suddenly said.

Naruto nodded. "I am."

"That's why you wanted to join the quest so badly," she murmured. She paused as a thought occurred to her. "I presume that Apollo doesn't actually have Artemis-scented candles?"

Naruto chuckled. "No, he doesn't."

"Pity. I had wished for an excuse to shoot him in the face."

A smile tugged at Naruto's lips when he remembered what Zoe had promised to do during the counselor meeting. A smile that vanished at Zoe's next words.

"I was supposed to die on this quest," she said quietly. "The moment the Oracle uttered the prophecy, I knew that the quest would end with my father killing me." Naruto recalled the dark looks Zoe and Chiron had exchanged during the meeting and realized that she knew from the very beginning. "And I _accepted_ that."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak but Zoe cut him off.

"But somehow, impossibly, _miraculously_ , I didn't die. Neither did Bianca," she glanced at Naruto. "You can deny it all you want, but you and I both know it's because of you that we're both still alive."

"Probably, yeah," Naruto admitted.

Zoe nodded. "Thank you, Naruto," she said, sincerity in her tone.

Naruto grinned. "No problem. Defying fate and destiny is kinda what I do. After all, if you don't like your destiny, don't accept it. Instead, fight for a new one."

Zoe regarded Naruto. "It's odd. Before this quest, I would have laughed at thy naivety and foolishness. However. . ." she inclined her head. "I suppose I am living proof that one's fate _can_ be changed."

She turned to look at Naruto. "Your eyes are identical to Artemis's," she murmured. "Silver, like the moon." She paused, her expression contemplative, her dark brown eyes staring into Naruto's silver ones as if she was searching for something.

Then Zoe smiled warmly. "Welcome to the family."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"You are, after all, the child of Artemis," Zoe said. "That makes you family, wouldn't you say?"

Naruto blinked again, surprised, before he _beamed_ with happiness. "I've always wanted to have a sister."

Zoe stood up and stretched before walking to the rooms in the back. "Good night, Naruto."

"Good night."

 _YES! THIS LITERALLY COULD NOT BE BETTER!_ Naruto grinned joyfully.

 **Keep it down. How do you manage to** _ **think**_ **so loudly?** Kurama grumbled good-naturedly. **Congratulations though. Kushina always did want you to have a sister.**

Naruto froze before his smile turned a little sad and wistful. _Yeah. That's right._

XxX

"Where's Naruto?" Percy inquired as he poured a generous amount of maple syrup onto his pancakes. Apollo's kitchen could conjure up food, much to their delight. Only Zoe could use the function though.

"He's still asleep, I think," Thalia guessed, biting into her own pancake. After a night's sleep, both she and Annabeth seemed to have returned to normal. Demigods have an amazing ability to compartmentalize - it comes with the territory of their highly lethal lifestyle.

"Who is Naruto, exactly?" Annabeth asked curiously. "I haven't seen him at camp before."

"He turned up at Camp Half-Blood a day after we arrived," Thalia said. "I guess he joined the quest to save his mom." She frowned. "I still can't get over the idea of Lady Artemis having _children_."

Annabeth shrugged. "He's like me - a child born through essence combination. Is he - "

" _DAMN IT!"_ a thunderous voice interrupted her. They all turned to look at where the sound came from.

"Wasn't that Naruto's voice?" Bianca asked, frowning.

"Naruto," Zoe called, concerned. "Is everything all right?"

The answer came in the form of Naruto stepping out of his room, his face blackened with dust. He had several cuts on his body that were already healing, and his hair, which was already spiky before, looked as if he just stabbed a metal fork into a live socket. He looked at them with an almost wild look in his eyes.

"I. Hate _. Seals."_

Then he whirled around and went back into his room.

XxX

And so the day passed. Annabeth drilled Percy and Thalia with every conceivable question about the quest before they decided to go out and explore Olympus, Annabeth marveling at the architecture. Zoe and Bianca had disappeared immediately after breakfast, and Zoe was giving Bianca a tour of Olympus as well.

Naruto, however, hadn't come out of his room at all besides grabbing an apple for lunch, skipping breakfast entirely. Several more screams of frustration came from his room, as well as a few sizable explosions.

Apollo and Artemis - well, every Olympian, actually, were preparing for the annual council meeting that night. Committee meetings, hearings, oversight. . . ruling the world was hard work, and it required a lot more than one expected. Mortals didn't know how lucky they had it. Ignorance was bliss, or so they say.

Finally, it was time. The sun had gone down and a full moon shone brightly overhead, Artemis's moon chariot on autopilot. Even though it was winter, the temperature on Olympus was pleasant. Apollo had gathered the demigods and told them to wait outside the throne room, the glowing white hall of the gods. Then he winked at Naruto before strolling in.

Naruto took a deep breath, mentally reflecting on what he, Apollo, and Artemis were going to say.

**Don't worry. If the plan fails, then we go to Plan Delta X.**

_Which is?_

**Six Paths Sage Mode, my Chakra Mode, and some Truth-Seeking Orbs for good measure. If Zeus thinks he can kill us, then he'll be in for a rough surprise.**

Naruto chuckled. _Indeed. I would like to avoid that though._

"ENTER, HEROES," a loud voice boomed out as thunder crackled dramatically overhead.

A determined expression appeared on Naruto's face.

Showtime.


	12. Chapter 12

Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placements of the cabins at camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations. Hestia attended to the hearth, and when she saw Naruto, she smiled in greeting. Naruto smiled back, giving her a small wave before turning his attention to the other gods.

Naruto observed the twelve Olympians gods. They were each around fifteen feet tall, and he could _feel_ the power thrumming in the room.

Dionysus reclined on a throne made out of grapevines with a leopard seat cushion. He looked bored and was absently sipping from a crystal glass filled with Diet Coke, but Naruto didn't miss how his purple eyes flickered slightly when they entered.

 **He** _ **really**_ **doesn't want to be here** , Kurama remarked. **He's filled with more negative emotions than Tsunade when she was forced to finish her paperwork without any sake.**

Hephaestus had a huge, bulging, deformed head, bushy eyebrows, and a long brown beard that would burst into flames every once in a while. His leg was encased in a metal brace, and he sat on a huge mechanical chair with gears sticking out that looked extremely uncomfortable. He stared at them curiously the same way Kankuro would look at one of his puppets, as if they were machines rather than humans. Oddly enough, when Hephaestus shifted his glance over to Naruto, a slight hint of respect entered his eyes.

 **I thought gods could take any form they want?** Kurama sounded confused. **Why is he crippled?**

Naruto shrugged mentally. _No idea._

Hermes's eyes twinkled as he leaned back in a simple stone throne with a cushion of goatskin. Naruto took an instant liking to the man. He had the air of a prankster. His expression was a little _too_ innocent, as if he knew something was about to happen and wanted to claim plausible deniability. He practically radiated amusement - at _what_ , Naruto didn't quite know, but he had a certain infectious cheer to him.

Demeter sat on a throne woven from various plant material. While she didn't look particularly impressive, Naruto knew that he couldn't afford to piss her off. He knew of the myth of Erisikhthon. If Demeter could induce a literal inability to be "full" after a meal, then it stands that the reverse could also be true. She could make it so that Naruto would be full and unable to eat after a single bowl - no, a single _strand_ of ramen. Naruto could not allow that to happen - _ever_.

**I'm glad you have your priorities straight.**

Ares stared at them behind his shades, twirling around a knife in his hand. Naruto wasn't impressed; Neji's teammate could do _way_ cooler tricks. His throne was made of leather and chrome with human skulls for armrests. And, judging by the scent, he was sitting on a cushion of _human skin_.

 **I love how you referred to that girl as "Neji's teammate,"** Kurama said amusedly. **What, did you forget her name already?**

_Shut up! It's been three years, and we barely even talked! Give me a break!_

Apollo's throne was made out of solid gold and glowed with the golden light of the sun. It was so bright, it hurt to look at. He grinned at them, humming an upbeat tune under his breath. Knowing him, he had probably composed that tune himself.

Athena observed them with a clinical gaze, her grey eyes calculating, although she did soften slightly when her gaze landed on Annabeth. Then she narrowed her eyes when her gaze shifted to Percy. Her throne seemed to be woven from threads, intricate patterns that hung suspended in the air by an unseen force.

 **Does she not like Percy Jackson?** Kurama asked curiously.

_She has an immense dislike for Poseidon, and I guess that extends to Percy as well._

Artemis sat on a silver throne surrounded by a silver glow. The seat cushion was composed of numerous furs that probably would've stirred an animal rights activist into a frenzy. She was no longer in her twelve year old form; instead, she looked to be slightly older than Hinata. When she met his gaze, a ghost of a smile appeared on her face.

Aphrodite's throne was beautiful, just like herself. Silver inlaid with aquamarine and various other gems, with soft white feathers for a cushion. Once again, she had the appearance of Sakura with bits of Kushina thrown in. She smiled at Percy sweetly before her gaze slid over to Naruto, and something _ugly_ reared up within her dazzling green eyes.

 **She's our enemy** , Kurama said immediately. **She** _ **really**_ **does not like you.**

_Yup. She's the goddess of "love", but apparently that only applies to romantic love, not familial love._

Hera gazed down at them regally. Her throne was made of ivory and a strange metal Naruto couldn't identify. Honestly, Naruto didn't know what to think of Hera. On one hand, he felt pretty bad for her because she was cheated on _constantly_. On the other hand, she threw Hephaestus, her own son, out - literally. That didn't earn any points in his book.

Poseidon was dressed casually in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt, and the corner of his sea-green eyes crinkled with smile lines. He sat in a simple fisherman's chair. However, despite his lackadaisical appearance, Naruto could sense something powerful lurking within him. This was one of the Big Three, a god that commanded the entirety of the ocean itself.

Zeus sat in the middle, his throne made of pure platinum with lightning bolt designs that glowed an intense white light. He wore a suit, his black beard was neatly trimmed, and his eyes sparked with energy. He looked upon them sternly, although he appeared to be focused intently on Thalia.

 **Unimpressive** , Kurama said flatly.

"Good evening, heroes," Zeus greeted. Thunder boomed overhead.

"Umm, hi," Percy waved his hand awkwardly.

Zoe muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like _idiot_ before walking forward and kneeling down on one knee. "Lord Zeus, it is an honor." Thalia, Bianca, and Annabeth followed suit, dropping down to one knee, and after only a moment's hesitation, Percy and Naruto also kneeled.

"Rise," Zeus commanded. The demigods rose. "You have done a commendable job in saving Artemis." Artemis inclined her head in agreement.

Apollo cleared his throat. "Indeed. In fact, I'm so impressed by their performance that I composed a small haiku. _Heroes win laurels - "_

Naruto's hand twitched as he reached for his kunai pouch but Dionysus beat him to the punch.

"Apollo, _please_ ," he groaned, cutting off Apollo. "Spare me. These council meetings are bad enough without your poetry. Not to mention all the preparations we have to go through. I just sat through a three hour meeting on the most _mind-numbing_ subjects with a bunch of nymphs whose collective IQs didn't even reach triple digits."

"Oh. Were they hot though?" Apollo asked eagerly.

Dionysus winced, casting a glance at Zeus, who suddenly gained a stormy look.

Apollo noticed. "My bad. Too soon?" Dionysus had messed around with a wood nymph's heart, resulting in Zeus banishing him to Camp Half-Blood for a century as punishment.

"Too soon," Dionysus said between gritted teeth.

"Let us proceed to the matter at hand," Athena spoke up almost tiredly, as if these types of digressions were common in meetings. "The Council is now aware of the massive threat the Titans pose. Mount Othrys is rising. The Titans are rapidly gaining power and followers. Prometheus, a Titan that sided with the gods in war, has joined Kronos. Hecate, the Titan of magic, and Pan, the Lord of the Wild, has also joined the Titans."

"What?!" Percy burst out, shocked. "Pan?! The god that Grover was searching for?"

"Impossible," Zoe shook her head. "Pan would not do such a thing."

Athena turned to look at them. "He did," she said coolly. "Selene confirmed it." She didn't wait for them to respond. "In light of recent events and new information, the Council has voted to act."

There was some mumbling and shuffling among the gods, as if they didn't like the decision. Artemis and Athena silenced them with cold glares.

"I'm afraid the full details shall be kept confidential," Athena continued. "Only Zeus, Artemis, and I know the entire plan." She looked around the room. "Rest assured, however, that I have considered nearly every variable and constant to ensure the highest probability of success. Taking down the Titans should be swift and simple, considering they're still at the early stages of gathering power."

Poseidon snorted. "I thought you were supposed to be the _wisdom_ goddess."

Athena narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Father would not begin executing _his_ plan to overthrow Olympus unless he had absolute confidence that he would triumph over the gods," Poseidon drawled. "You say you have considered nearly every variable and constant, but _I doubt that_. Father has had _thousands of years_ to plan - you had less than a day." His eyes flashed. "Do not let your hubris lead to our downfall."

Athena was silent for a moment before demonstrating exactly why she was known as the goddess of wisdom. "I see your point," she inclined her head, swallowing her pride. "I apologize. Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Share your plan with us," Poseidon spread his arms and looked around the throne room. "I, for one, would like to know the exact steps that will be taken to combat the Titan threat."

"I don't," Dionysus muttered.

"Not interested," Demeter yawned.

"Speak for yourself," Aphrodite examined her perfect cuticles. "The Titans are dusty old relics of the past. You really think they're a _threat_? In the war, it only took six Olympians and a few monsters to defeat the Titans." She smiled. "Now, the Titans have lost a lot of strength, and there are twelve Olympians. They don't stand a chance."

"Foolish goddess," Poseidon snarled. "This only proves that you know _nothing_ of Father."

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes and Ares leaned forward, interested. Suddenly, bloodlust and anger and rage filled the room, so thick it seemed to be tangible. Naruto wanted to punch something. Rasengan something.

**Snap out of it, Naruto.**

Naruto blinked before closing his eyes and concentrating. _Wow. That was almost as strong as_ your _chakra's madness-inducing effects._

"I don't know, Poseidon," Aphrodite said, smiling sweetly. "It looks to me you're just scared of daddy. What, is your PTSD from getting eaten alive kicking in?"

Poseidon rose from his seat, tremors rippling through the ground. "Say that again - "

"Brother," Zeus sighed tiredly. "Relax. And Ares, stop that," he directed to the war god, who shrugged before the aura of bloodlust receded.

Poseidon blinked before scowling at Ares, realizing that his emotions had been toyed with. Ares smirked back. Poseidon sat back down.

"Poseidon is correct," Zeus said, frowning at Aphrodite. "Do not underestimate the Titans."

Aphrodite simply shrugged in an _oh well_ fashion.

"As I was saying," Athena began, "Artemis and Apollo shall begin hunting down the most powerful monsters to prevent them from joining up with the Titans."

Artemis nodded while Apollo grinned.

"Poseidon, you have full permission to unleash your fury and send the Princess Andromeda to the bottom of the sea by any means necessary."

Poseidon grimaced. "Yeah. . . that's not gonna happen. Oceanus and several other ocean gods are fighting against my will and preventing me from sinking the ship. I'll require a joint operation in order to destroy the ship. "

"Damn," Ares frowned. He turned to Apollo and Artemis. "You guys were at Mount Othrys, where that cruise ship was docked. Why didn't you just destroy it then? You had the perfect opportunity."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "We already accomplished our mission of saving my little sister. Besides, we didn't know if there were any other hostile Titans or gods around. Remaining in enemy territory with zero intel would've been a _monumentally_ stupid decision."

Ares shrugged. "If you ask me, you should've just attacked."

"And that is why we _don't_ ask you," Athena cut in smoothly. "Leave the tactics to the rest of us."

" _Tactics_ ," he scoffed. "When will you realize that war isn't about strategy and tactics, but rather the pure clash of blades and wills between warriors who fight to their last breath?"

"The same time when you realize that you have _never_ won against me," Athena replied dryly. "Moving on," she continued, ignoring Ares's sudden murderous gaze, "Zeus and I shall personally head into Tartarus and check up on the bronze fortress which imprisons the Titans."

Every Olympian winced simultaneously. The _Underworld_ was bad enough; Tartarus was even _worse_.

"And the minor gods?" Hermes asked. "What shall be done about them?"

"We must preserve their loyalty," Athena stated. "Hermes, Dionysus, Aphrodite, I leave the task to you. I don't care what methods you use, just ensure their continued allegiance to Olympus." She paused. "However, if a minor god _does_ wish to turn traitor. . ." she turned to Ares.

Ares grinned savagely. "Say no more. Just point me at them and enjoy the explosions."

"As for the issue of Mount Othrys itself," the wisdom goddess's expression turned grim. "I'm afraid it's already too late. Today is the winter's solstice, and Mount Othrys has already fully risen and reformed from the Mist. The Titans have collapsed the Mist surrounding the area, returning it to normal space-time."

"Just blast it," Ares suggested, looking at Zeus.

Zeus shook his head. "I cannot."

"What, why?" Ares frowned.

Zeus stared at Ares as if he was an idiot. "Why? Because Atlas is there," he said slowly. "If I blast the mountain into smithereens, then I run the risk of collapsing the sky itself. I'm sure that you wouldn't want San Francisco getting crushed, considering exactly _what_ is located there."

Athena nodded. "Furthermore, we can't send a frontal assault due to two reasons. First off, we lack information. I am already collaborating with Hephaestus" - the god in question inclined his head - "to design surveillance automatons. Second, Mount Othrys is a foreign domain."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Percy asked.

The gods all looked at him incredulously. Annabeth slowly rested her head in her hands, mumbling something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like _seaweed brain_.

Athena chuckled. "He takes after his father, I see." Poseidon scowled at her.

"Percy," Annabeth mumbled through her hands. "Don't you remember what Chiron said during our quest to retrieve the master bolt? About how 'no god can enter another god's territory without an invitation?'"

Percy blinked. "Oh right." His eyes widened as realization dawned. "OHHH that's what you meant!" Then he frowned and looked at Zeus. "But hold on, I thought _you_ enforced the Ancient Laws. Can't you just temporarily, I don't know, remove them?"

Zeus stared at Percy. "Fascinating," he muttered. "Y _ou_ were the one who retrieved my master bolt?"

Percy frowned. "What?"

"I enforce the Ancient Laws, true," Zeus's deep voice rumbled like thunder itself. "Laws that state gods are forbidden from drastically interfering with mortal affairs or that they can only fight heroes if they are challenged first. _However_ , the law that states gods aren't allowed to enter another god's territory without an invitation isn't an Ancient Law, it's a _divine law."_

"Hold up," Percy held up a hand, confused. "Divine law?"

"The laws that govern the divine," Poseidon explained patiently. "The physical manifestation of the natural order of the world. Unlike the Ancient Laws, in which the punishment is decided and executed by Zeus, the _divine laws_ are the laws of nature itself. Even the primordial gods of the old, Ouranos and Gaea, are incapable of breaking the divine laws without severe consequences."

"Think of it like this," Apollo piped up. "An Ancient Law is like a law that a king makes. The divine laws, however, are like the Law of Conservation of Mass or the Law of Conservation of Momentum."

Athena nodded. "If a god decided to intrude on another god's domain, then they would suffer adverse effects ranging from minor to severe, depending on the divinity present in the domain. For example, my mortal temples have an extremely weak divinity, so if a god decides to intrude with his girlfriend" - she shot Poseidon a glare - "then at most he would only get a light headache. However, the sky, ocean, and Underworld have the highest levels of divinity. If Zeus fought Hades on land, which is neutral domain, then Zeus would win virtually every time. However, if Zeus decided to invade the Underworld and attack Hades, then Hades would undoubtedly win."

"Currently Mount Othrys has the same level of divinity as the Underworld," Artemis sounded displeased, as if she would like nothing more than to storm Othrys and eviscerate the enemies. "Attacking it would be tantamount to suicide."

"But gods can't die," Percy pointed out.

Artemis sighed. "It is a phrase, Percy Jackson."

"Let us move onto the main point of discussion tonight," Athena took command of the room once more. Her gaze shifted from Percy to Thalia and finally rested on Bianca, her grey eyes remaining emotionless.

Poseidon cleared his throat. "Yeah, so before this continues. . ."

Power _exploded_ out from him as a heavy presence settled over everyone. Sharp intakes of breath could be heard around the room as the assembled gods were affected by the immense power emanated from Poseidon's form, their expressions becoming wary, apprehensive, and fearful. Even Athena couldn't prevent a slight shudder from rippling through her body.

Throughout this all, Poseidon remained lounging in his fisherman's chair, his posture relaxed and uncaring.

"Let me make this clear," Poseidon smiled, looking around his room, something ancient and _powerful_ lurking in his sea-green eyes. "You are _not_ blasting my son to bits."

A moment of silence before Zeus also cleared his throat. A second presence joined the first as power radiated from Zeus's form. The scent of ozone filled the air as the air suddenly became charged with electricity. Unlike Poseidon, Zeus sat with perfect posture, his spine ramrod straight and his gaze stern, but that only served to increase the intensity of his next words. "Similarly, you are also not blasting my daughter to bits."

Ares shifted nervously in his seat as Dionysus paled, and Hermes discreetly prepared to _run_.

Another moment of silence before the shadows in the throne room _twisted_. Fear filled the room, irrational and oppressive and overwhelming, as a tall, imposing figure materialized in the middle of the hall, in front of the demigods. Extremely pale skin that contrasted against golden veins, black eyes the same color as the shadows, and the mesmerizing charisma of either a genius or a madman. A helm rested on his head - the _helm of darkness._

Hades smiled coldly as Aphrodite shrieked and Demeter scooted back in her throne, trying to put distance between them. Even Zeus and Poseidon were shaking slightly, although they hid it well, as if they had experience. "Hello there, my dear family," he smiled, causing Hermes to whimper. "Miss me?"

"Hades," Zeus growled. "Why are you here?"

The god of the dead inclined his head. "I have a message for the Council." He cleared his throat, which had the side effect of sending out another wave of pure fear. "You are not blasting my daughter to bits."

Zeus's eyes widened briefly in surprise before he grudgingly nodded.

The powerful auras of the Big Three seemed to resonate together, working together in unison to demonstrate the iron wills of the three brothers. There was so much energy in the room, it was a miracle the whole palace didn't blow apart.

The Council was silent. Percy, Bianca, Thalia, and Annabeth had fallen to their knees, their eyes wide. Zoe was still standing, although it was a struggle. While she had been subjected to the presence of Atlas and even _Kronos_ several times before in the war, it was _nothing_ compared to the resonating auras of the Big Three working in unison.

"Holy Sage," Naruto whispered. In the silent room, it was like a shout, and every eye swiveled over to him.

In his mind, Kurama groaned as there was the distinct _thud_ of him slamming his head against the ground. **You did** _ **not**_ **draw everyone's attention to you like that. I thought you were a** _ **shinobi**_ **.**

Naruto ignored him, his eyes wide and disbelieving. "I - I thought that you would. . ." he trailed off, staring at the Big Three.

He didn't look like he was affected by overwhelming power and fear permeating the room at all. And he wasn't. Don't get him wrong - his instincts were _screaming_ at him and the primal part of his brain wanted him to _run hide die_ , but he had the unrelenting will and determination of a shinobi that had fought the likes of Madara and Kaguya, and he refused to submit or be cowed because that would be the same as giving up and Naruto Uzumaki _never_ gave up.

"What is it?" Zeus demanded.

"I was wrong," Naruto breathed. He had genuinely thought that Zeus and Poseidon and Hades would deem their children too dangerous to exist. He believed that they would not hesitate to strike down Percy and Thalia and Bianca. But to see them working together in _defending_ their children, willing to stand against the Council itself. . .

"I'm sorry," Naruto apologized.

_Kurama, I think we misjudged them. Zeus especially._

**I think so too.**

Zeus frowned in bewilderment. "Your apology is. . . accepted?"

Hades was staring at Naruto with morbid fascination. "How are you standing right now?" he asked. "If I radiate any more fear, then the hearts of those demigods would stop."

Naruto grinned. "Ah, let's just say I'm used to fighting against some _extremely_ scary people."

"Anyway," Zeus glanced around the room, his gaze softening slightly when he looked at Thalia, "Let us put this to a vote."

"Father," Athena spoke up in an _incredibly_ brave decision. "There is a security risk with these three."

"I vouch for my son," Poseidon immediately replied.

Zeus grunted. "I vouch for my daughter as well."

All eyes hesitantly turned to Hades, who drawled, "Hey, I'm aware that you don't give a rat's ass about my vouch. But for what it's worth, I hate you all, but I hate Father even more. I will not turn her against Olympus."

"You have heard our arguments," Zeus's deep voice reverberated around the halls. "All in favor of not disintegrating the demigods?"

Kurama snorted. **Arguments? What arguments? They're just flat-out intimidating the other gods - and they're not even being subtle about it.**

Athena opened her mouth to speak again but paused, looking around the room. Every god had their hand raised. She reluctantly remained silent and raised her hand as well.

"The decision is unanimous," Zeus declared. "The lives of Percy Jackson, Thalia Grace, and Bianca di Angelo shall be left untouched."

The power and fear in the room dissipated as Poseidon smiled serenely and Hades's eyes glinted smugly. The Big Three then looked at their children. Percy, Bianca, and Thalia all had identical looks of surprise and shock on their faces. Their eyes were wide as they stared at their respective parents, disbelieving of the fact that they had just unconditionally defended them against the Council.

"Alright." Thunder rumbled overhead threateningly as Zeus glared at Hades. "Now that that's finished, get the _Tartarus_ off Olympus."

Hades chuckled. "Gladly, brother." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" Bianca cried out. Hades stopped, looking at Bianca.

"I'll talk to you soon, Bianca," he said as the shadows began curling around him. "Well done on the quest." He paused. "And don't worry about Nico. I already brought him to the Underworld, where Zeus's lightning can't touch him."

"Damn," Zeus cursed. "I hoped you had forgotten about him."

_. . . never mind. Perhaps we didn't misjudge him that much._

**Who is Nico?**

_Bianca's little brother. He's cool._

Hades chuckled one last time before vanishing within the shadows once more.

The gods breathed out sighs of relief.

"He _really_ creeps me out," Apollo muttered. "As the god of light and the sun, I disapprove heavily."

There were mutterings of agreement. Hades was universally disliked on Olympus.

"Shall we move onto the next topic then?" Athena had already regained her calm composure, and her gaze was on Naruto. "Naruto, the son of Artemis."

"Yo," Naruto greeted with a smile and a raised hand.

"The Council is. . . unsure as to what to do with you," Zeus admitted. "There are two points of consternation among us. First off, you are the son of Artemis. Second, you possess a strange new energy that the gods have never seen before. Chakra."

"If I may," Athena interjected, "On the first point, I don't believe any discussion is necessary. Naruto's existence as the son of Artemis goes against the natural order of the world itself. Some would call him an abomination. However. . ." she smiled. "There is precedence. When I had my first child, her existence _also_ went against the natural order of the world. Given the fact that the Council elected to do nothing about her, I say we let the decision stand and let him be."

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Did Athena just _defend_ him?

Zeus stroked his beard thoughtfully. "That makes sense." He turned to Artemis. "Anything you would like to add?"

Artemis tilted her head. "I do not believe we should punish him because _I_ am his mother. I did not break any oaths, after all. And it's not as if _my_ children were prophesied to bring about the fall of Olympus."

Zeus nodded grudgingly while Poseidon hid a grin at the subtle jab at them both. "Good point. Very well then." He looked at Naruto. "You shall not be punished due to your parentage."

"And as for the second point," Athena continued, not looking surprised by the decision, as if she had already predicted it, "Chakra is a new, unknown energy. In the upcoming fight against the Titans, it would prove an invaluable tool."

"Yeah, about that," Poseidon spoke up, looking intently at Naruto. "What _is_ chakra, exactly?"

Showtime.

It's time to execute the Plan.

"You wish to know what chakra is?" Naruto chuckled. "Very well. The answer to that question is. . ."

XxX

"What's your master plan?" Apollo inquired curiously. "What are you going to say?"

Naruto smiled deviously. "Nothing,"

Apollo blinked. "Nothing?"

" **Nothing,"** Kurama repeated with a smirk.

Artemis tilted her head. "Elaborate?"

"See, in my old world, I had a teacher," Naruto smiled reminiscently. "Kakashi-sensei. Unlike me, he was a true shinobi - underneath the underneath, and all that. He was also the most _infuriating_ and _annoying_ guy I knew. If he had a secret he didn't want to tell, then not only would _nobody_ be able to force it out of him, but they would also be driven insane in the process."

Artemis narrowed her eyes. "A man like that was your teacher? It must've been terrible - "

"No," Naruto cut her off immediately. "Kakashi-sensei was the best teacher I could've asked for. Sure, he had his. . . _quirks_ , but he shaped who I am as a shinobi. As a _person_. He was the one who taught me that _those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash_."

Artemis paused. "Oh. I see."

"Yeah." Naruto was silent, lost in memories for a moment. "Anyway, the gods will ask me what chakra is, correct?"

Apollo nodded. "Definitely."

Naruto smirked. "Then I'll just apply Kakashi-sensei's Lesson #7: Deny _everything_."

XxX

"I have no idea," Naruto finished with a shit-eating grin.

A moment of silence.

"Excuse me?" Zeus frowned deeply.

"I have _no_ idea whatsoever what chakra is," Naruto repeated with a shrug. "How could I? I'm just a kid, after all."

Athena stared at him incredulously. "Naruto, son of Artemis, do not play dumb."

"Well then, tell me how I'm supposed to have any answers," Naruto tilted his head. "After all, I've been living with Apollo since I was born, and it's not like _he_ would know about chakra." He grinned. "I have _no_ idea what chakra is."

Athena hesitated, but she clearly knew that he made perfect logical sense. After all, he's just a kid who lived with Apollo his entire life. There was no reason to believe that he would know anything about an unknown power that even the gods were unaware of.

And yet, there was just _something_ about that grin. . .

"Very well," Athena inclined her head in acceptance. "Then tell me, Naruto, what do you _think_ chakra is?"

Naruto raised his eyebrows minutely. He was impressed. If Athena had continued asking him what chakra was, then he would just continue denying all knowledge. However, by asking him what he _thought_ chakra was, he was forced into a position where he _had_ to answer. She had caught on that this was a battle of wordplay.

It was a good thing that he had already gone over his response with Kurama.

"It's stuff," Naruto replied.

Athena narrowed her eyes. "What kind of stuff?"

"Things."

"What _things_?"

". . . stuff." At Athena's enraged glare, Naruto raised his hands in defense. "Okay, okay. Chakra is magic."

A beat.

"It isn't," Athena countered.

"It is."

"It isn't."

"It is."

"It isn't."

"It isn't."

"It isn't," Athena agreed.

Naruto paused. "Huh. You were supposed to. . . right. Wisdom goddess. Almost forgot."

"Now that we have established that chakra isn't magic because magic exhibits certain traits and characteristics and chakra has _none_ of them, are you going to tell us what chakra is?" Athena raised an eyebrow.

Naruto sighed. "Look, I'm not a genius or anything."

**Isn't that the truth.**

"All I know is that chakra is a form of energy. That's it."

Athena stared at him critically before nodding. "Very well. Is it possible for others to gain chakra?"

Naruto shrugged. "Dunno. I haven't tried before."

"Why is that?"

Naruto stared at her. "Because I'm still a _kid_. I'm not legal yet."

Athena frowned in confusion before she understood his meaning and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not asking if your children would inherit chakra," she growled. "I'm asking if it's possible for you to give your chakra to someone else."

Hermes, Ares, and Apollo snickered in unison.

"Nice one, kid," Hermes shot him the thumbs up.

"Ohhhh." Naruto shook his head. "No. It's impossible."

"And every ability you've displayed on the quest so far was due to your chakra?" Poseidon inquired.

"Not _every_ ability. Some were due to my sheer awesomeness," Naruto grinned.

Poseidon arched an eyebrow. "I see. What is your Rasengan?"

"A spiraling blue ball," Naruto answered. At Poseidon's unimpressed look, he hastily added, "Err, it's a rotating sphere of dense chakra."

Poseidon nodded. "Your clones?"

"Chakra constructs."

"Your weapon duplication?"

Naruto paused. "What? Oh, that." Shadow Shurikens. "Yeah, those were also chakra constructs."

"Your Sage Mode?"

". . . enhanced chakra." He didn't want to explain Sage Mode to the gods quite yet.

"Your Rasenshuriken?"

" _Futon_ : Rasenshuriken, to be specific. And it's a Rasengan, but with really sharp wind."

"Your. . ." Poseidon coughed lightly. "Big Ball Rasengan?"

Another round of snickers that were silenced by Athena's glare.

"A _lot_ of rotating dense chakra," Naruto answered seriously. "Same with the Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan."

"Your Planetary Rasengan?"

"4 Rasengans for the price of one."

"Your golden cloak?"

"Even more enhanced chakra - " Naruto froze. "Hold up, how do you even know about that? I thought that Mount Othrys was cloaked from the vision of the gods."

"It was. I read Percy's mind," Poseidon replied casually.

"YOU WHAT?!" came the indignation outburst of the son of Poseidon.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Poseidon inclined his head, "But it was the fastest and most efficient way to get things over with. Rest assured, I only observed your memories of the fight, nothing else."

Percy blinked. "Oh. Wait, if you can read minds, then why didn't Zeus just read my mind two years ago and see that I was innocent?"

"Because memories can be altered," Zeus explained rather impatiently. "It's what the boy, Luke Castellan, did. A timed spell that returned his memories only after he left Olympus."

"Anyway," Poseidon continued. "I think I've made my point."

Naruto frowned. "What point?"

Poseidon smiled genially. "Every ability I've named so far utilized chakra, not your _sheer awesomeness_ , as you so put it."

Naruto opened his mouth but then closed it a second later. "That was good," he admitted.

"Thank you," Poseidon accepted graciously.

"But," Naruto continued, "You forgot to account for the fact that all my abilities were composed of not only chakra but _also_ sheer awesomeness - "

"Yes, well, while that's great and all," Zeus interrupted, "I'm a little bit more interested about the purple Rasengan that you used against Atlas."

Naruto tilted his head. "The Bijuudama?"

"Tailed Beast Bomb?" Zeus muttered before shaking his head. "You have a rather odd naming convention. At any rate, your Bijuudama was capable of incapacitating even Atlas. Do you deny that?"

"What? Nah, you're right. The Bijuudama _devastated_ Atlas," Naruto confirmed.

"I want that!" Ares shouted before glaring at anyone who looked over. "Had to get that out of my system."

"Council of the gods," Zeus spread his arms, ignoring Ares. "Naruto possesses a power that is capable of taking down even Atlas with great ease. That same power could be turned against us." He narrowed his eyes. "It could be used to overthrow Olympus."

_And we finally reach the crux of the matter._

"Naruto wouldn't betray Olympus," Artemis countered.

"How do you know for sure?" Ares spoke up, although he seemed to be arguing for argument's sake rather than out of any real concern.

Apollo snorted. "Trust me, I lived with the kid. He may be loud and dense, but he won't betray us. I vouch for him."

Artemis nodded in agreement. "As do I."

"I also vouch for Naruto," a voice spoke out from the hearth. Hestia cast her gaze around the Council, meeting all the gods' eyes, before turning to look at Zeus. "Brother, I know you're worried about traitors, but Naruto is not one. He will not betray us; I promise you that."

Zeus arched his eyebrows, as if surprised that Hestia spoke in defense of Naruto. "Understood."

"I vouch for him as well," Athena stated calmly. "There may be a risk that he will betray us, but it is a risk I'm willing to take."

**I don't understand. Why is she defending you so much?**

_I actually don't know. I think it's because she gets along with Artemis?_

A moment of silence broken by the most unlikely, unexpected goddess.

"I vouch for him," Aphrodite called out.

Artemis's eyes widened as Naruto did a double take in shock.

_Did I just hear that right?!_

**You did** , Kurama confirmed.

 _Huh_.

"Wait, _what_?!" Naruto asked, looking at Aphrodite in confusion. "Didn't you say you _wanted_ to start a vote to blast me out of existence?"

Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively. "My dear Naruto, I didn't truly _mean_ it. I said it in the heat of the moment. But after time to calm down and _reflect_. . ." she shrugged. "I had a change of heart."

Before Naruto could respond, Aphrodite turned to Zeus. "Naruto won't betray Olympus," she smiled. "I trust him. He's _extremely_ devoted to his mother, after all."

Zeus nodded slowly. "Alright. Could've sworn that you wanted his head on a stick just a few days ago. . ." he muttered under his breath before looking at Naruto. "Naruto, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Naruto stepped forward. "Lord Zeus, I assure you, I will not betray Olympus. I have no reason to. After all. . ." he smiled brightly. "We're family, Thunder Gramps."

The hall went dead silent.

**. . . you did not just say that.**

Artemis closed her eyes wearily as Apollo's palm slammed into his face. The gods stared at him incredulously as the demigods slowly edged away from him, getting out of the splatter zone.

Zeus stared at him uncomprehendingly, blinking several times. He opened his mouth, paused, and then closed it.

Naruto frowned. "Oh, did you not like Thunder Gramps?" He rubbed his chin. "I thought about Sky Gramps, but that sounded kinda weird. Maybe Lightning Gramps? Oh, how about Super Thunder Gramps?"

Badly-concealed smiles and grins of amusement could be seen around the halls. Hermes had to turn away, his body shaking silently, and Ares was stabbing his knife into his leg to prevent himself from bursting out into laughter. Dionysus snorted into his Diet Coke, but covered it up by coughing violently. After all, one simply did not _laugh_ at the king of the gods.

With one exception, of course.

Poseidon roared with laughter. "Oh, that's _beautiful_. Rest assured, brother, that I shall _personally_ ensure that your new title is known all throughout Atlantis: Lord Zeus, the King of Olympus, Lord of the Sky, and _Super Thunder Gramps."_

Zeus broke out of his trance. His fingers twitched and pure lightning gathered in his hand. He raised his hand, the crackling white energy growing and extending. He stared at Naruto with a detached expression and prepared to fire -

Hera touched his shoulder lightly. "Zeus, dear."

"It won't kill him," Zeus muttered. "It'll just hurt so much, he'll _wish_ he was dead."

"Zeus," Hera said again, this time with a hint of warning in her tone.

Zeus sighed but complied, his lightning bolt dissipating. "Fine. Let's vote. All in favor of not disintegrating him?"

Artemis and Apollo instantly raised their hands. So did Aphrodite and Athena. After a moment's pause, Hermes, Ares, and Hephaestus also raised their hands. Hera and Demeter too.

Poseidon smiled. "I like him," he said before raising his hand as well.

Zeus looked around the room. Only Dionysus abstained, although that was probably because raising his hand would've taken too much energy. "The Council has decided," he declared. "Naruto may live - on the condition that he _never_ refers to me as Super Thunder Gramps _ever_ again."

Naruto nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I'll just call you Lord Zeus," he sighed.

Zeus sent him one last stern glance. "See to it that you will. Oh, and if you ever do decide to betray Olympus. . ."

"You'll blast me," Naruto finished. "Repeatedly. Don't worry, I won't."

"One last thing," Athena spoke up. "Naruto, what is this _Kurama_ that you mentioned? You called it your partner, if I'm not mistaken."

"He's a split personality," Naruto answered brightly. "He says hi, by the way."

**I did** _**not** _ **. Also, your tone is a little too similar to the Uchiha brat when he was acting like an idiot.**

_Hey, if you ignore the fact that Tobito was evil and stuff, you gotta admit that his persona was kinda hilarious._

Silence met Naruto's declaration.

"A split personality, you say?" Athena asked with a slight hint of concern.

Naruto nodded. "I mean, you can't seriously expect me to live with Apollo for three years without getting _some_ mental issues, y'know?"

The gods all nodded in understanding.

"A compelling reason," Athena inclined her head.

"Hey!" The sun god's indignant objection was ignored by everyone.

"Our last topic is the Ophiotaurus, the bane of Olympus," Athena looked at Poseidon. "Would you please summon the monster?"

 **Hold up. Is that** _ **it?!**_ Kurama asked incredulously. **Is that all they're going to ask?**

 _Huh. They were a_ lot _less thorough than we had thought. Although to be fair, they're gods, not shinobi._

Poseidon lazily waved a hand. A moment later, a sphere of water formed in the center of the room, next to the hearth. Hestia stared up at it. The Ophiotaurus was swimming around happily, swishing his serpent tail. He seemed to be enjoying the novelty of swimming in a magic bubble.

"Bessie!" Percy called out happily.

"Bessie?" Poseidon frowned. "You named the Ophiotaurus, a monster that poses more of a threat to Olympus than Typhon himself, _Bessie_?!"

Percy shrugged. "It fits him."

Poseidon blinked. "Right. . ."

"I think it goes without saying what we should do with the Ophiotaurus," Athena said, ignoring Percy.

"Blast it?" Ares suggested.

"Blast it," Zeus confirmed.

Percy's eyes widened. "Wait, don't!"

Zeus snapped his fingers and a wave of concentrated divine energy shot out, hitting the defenseless cow serpent. The Ophiotaurus disintegrated. No warning. One moment it was fine, the next moment the sphere of water it was nothing but ashes floating to the surface of the water.

Naruto went still. That was fast. Really fast. He didn't have any time to react.

 **Sage Mode** , Kurama growled. **Now.**

Naruto nodded, immediately drawing in natural energy. A moment later, silver pigmentations appeared around his eye as his pupils extended into horizontal slants. Simultaneously, he applied a Henge to prevent anyone from noticing. Artemis tensed up slightly, glancing wildly around the halls before her gaze landed on him and she relaxed. Did she sense him?

"What did you just do?!" Percy asked Zeus in horror.

Zeus looked at him. "I blasted it," he answered with an implied _duh_ on the end.

"But. . . Bessie was an innocent!" Percy protested. "Killing something just because of something that _might_ happen - it's as wrong as. . . as Kronos eating his children! It's wrong!"

Zeus raised a single eyebrow. "No, it's not," he replied. "I just removed a threat to us all. As long as the Ophiotaurus remains alive, then the Titans can sacrifice it." He narrowed his eyes. "Are you really willing to risk _human civilization itself_ because you think killing a _monster_ is wrong?"

Percy looked at Poseidon desperately. "Father! You can't - " he stopped as Poseidon shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Percy. But my brother is correct. The Ophiotaurus is too dangerous to be left alive." He tilted his head. "After all, if my brother is incapable of even keeping his own _master bolt_ safe, then I do not hold much faith in his ability to prevent the Titans from capturing the Ophiotaurus."

"It's a simple risk analysis," Athena spoke up. "We do not gain anything from keeping the Ophiotaurus alive; however, we have _everything_ to lose." She paused. "Besides, the Ophiotaurus is a _monster_."

Percy clenched his fists tightly. " _Fine_."

"Are we not going to address the fact that _Thalia Grace_ 's sixteenth birthday is tomorrow?" Hera brought up, looking at Thalia with an almost imperceptible sneer on her face that told her just how much she liked the daughter of Zeus.

"I believe I have a solution for that," Artemis intervened. She looked at Athena. "Would it work?"

Athena seemed to understand what she was talking about, because a thoughtful gaze appeared on her face. "Yes," she answered after a few seconds.

Artemis nodded. "Thalia, daughter of Zeus," she addressed Thalia with a light smile. "Will you join the Hunt?"

Annabeth smiled knowingly, as if she had expected this, and Naruto finally realized what she and Thalia had been whispering about yesterday. Zoe glanced at Artemis in shock before she smiled in understanding and approval.

Thalia hesitated only for a moment before nodding. "I will," Thalia said firmly. She turned to Zeus. "Father, I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. Seeing as the prophecy would _undoubtedly_ become an absolute clusterfuck of epic proportions, I leave it to Percy. I'm out."

"Gee, thanks," Percy muttered.

Zeus blinked. "Huh. Sweet." He shrugged. "Go ahead, then."

Thalia knelt before Artemis. She hesitated, a flash of emotions crossed her face momentarily, too quick for Naruto to decipher. Then she steeled herself, a determined gaze settling upon her. "I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back against the company of men. . ."

As she said her oath, Kurama detected an extraordinarily large spike of negative emotions coming from one of the gods. **Naruto, Aphrodite is pissed. As in, she's furious beyond belief.**

Naruto winced as he recalled the main reason why Aphrodite hated Artemis. Fortunately, it appeared that Aphrodite was content to just glare silently at Artemis and Thalia. _Yeah, I know. She_ really _doesn't like Artemis. Or the Hunters._

After she finished her pledge, Thalia walked back to the group, her skin flowing a faint silver. For a second, Naruto could've sworn he saw uncertainty in her eyes, as if she wasn't sure if she made the right decision, but the next second it was gone and replaced with a bright smile.

Annabeth smiled back warmly and Zoe and Bianca welcomed her as Percy gave her a high five.

Naruto, for his part, was frowning in concentration. "Hey, Thalia."

"Yeah?"

"Artemis is my mom, so the Hunters of Artemis are technically my sisters, y'know?" Naruto tilted his head. "But you're also the daughter of Zeus, so you're technically my _aunt_. So how would you like me to address you? Sister or aunt?"

"If you call me _Aunt Thalia_ , I'll stab you," Thalia warned.

Naruto chuckled. "Duly noted."

Percy brightened suddenly. "Hold on, that means the prophecy won't apply to Bianca either, since she's also a Hunter."

Artemis nodded. "Indeed. Only you and Nico di Angelo are likely candidates for the prophecy - that we're aware of."

Everyone looked at Zeus and Poseidon. Poseidon merely shrugged innocently whereas Zeus went for a more flashy distraction.

"On that note," Zeus boomed, bolts of lightning crashing down behind him, "I believe we have finished discussing everything that needed discussing and blasting everything that needed blasting. The annual council meeting is officially over."

Dionysus rose from his throne, relief shining in his eyes. " _Finally_. Party in five. Let's, uhh. . ."

"Celebrate the triumph of these heroes?" Poseidon suggested.

"Yeah. That."

XxX

There are parties.

Then there are huge, extravagant, blow-out parties.

 _Then_ there are parties thrown by Dionysus, the _god_ of parties.

Absolute mayhem. Organized mayhem, but mayhem nonetheless. Officially, the party was a triumph celebration for the heroes who saved Artemis. _Unofficially_ , Dionysus and the other gods just wanted to celebrate the conclusion of the widely-despised annual council meeting and used the completion of the quest as an excuse.

They were in the palace courtyard. The Nine Muses played music on their chosen instruments. Plural. Naruto spotted one Muse playing the piano, violin, and cello all at once using her mind. A joyful melody flowed over the hall. Dionysus was literally _growing_ refreshment stands out of the ground, and a beautiful woman walked with him. He looked happy for once.

Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains, and platters of food crowded the banquet tables. Naruto eyed the food. No ramen. Whoever decided that _ramen_ wasn't a party food should be stabbed. There were golden goblets filled with whatever drink the user desired.

The gods had reverted to human size to not accidentally trample the demigods, and a bunch of nature spirits and minor gods also joined the festivities. A crowd had already started dancing in the courtyard, and Naruto caught the familiar scent of alcohol that he hadn't smelled in _years_ (Apollo did keep wine in his mansion, but it was guarded behind several layers of protective enchantments, less out of concern for Naruto drinking underaged and more because Apollo didn't want to share his goods).

"Yoo!" Percy was shouting. "They didn't blast us!"

"I know!" Thalia shouted back, exhilarated. "It's awesome!"

A cheer came up from the crowd surrounding them. Naruto frowned slightly when he saw Bianca milling around uncertainly. It was as if she stood in a bubble; nobody would come near her, and several people were casting her disgusted and even fearful glances.

Right. Daughter of Hades. Naruto felt a scowl form on his face. He walked forward but before he reached Bianca, Zoe had already noticed and pulled her in protectively, glaring at anyone who looked at her badly. Naruto smiled at the gesture.

"Are you really the son of Artemis?" a voice called out next to him.

Naruto spun around. A girl, a bit older than him. She had braided brown hair and her eyes were a startling green. His eyes traced the green veins on her neck and arms. A nymph.

He nodded. "I am."

The nymph giggled before dashing off to a group of nymphs, presumably her friends. Naruto watched her go with a raised eyebrow. That was odd.

In any case. . . Naruto headed for the refreshments, grabbing a golden goblet. A second later, it filled up miso soup. He sipped it appreciatively, savoring the taste. It wasn't as good as Ichiraku's or Hestia's cooking, but it was still acceptable.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure observing the party at the edge of the courtyard. Artemis. He made his way towards her. As he walked, people turned over and stared, but he ignored them.

"Mom," Naruto smiled brightly.

Artemis turned to him. "Naruto," she smiled. Then her smile dropped and she narrowed her eyes.

Naruto frowned but a moment later he understood why. The scent of perfume filled his nose as Aphrodite swooped in with a pleasant smile. "Naruto, Artemis," she greeted. "How are you two?"

"Aphrodite," Naruto narrowed his eyes as well. "Why did you change your mind?" he asked, cutting straight to the point.

The goddess of love chuckled. "Oh, that? Look, Naruto, I only said that I wanted to blast you out of existence in the heat of the moment. I didn't actually _mean_ it. I'm sure you understand; after all, you had been awfully rude and impolite to me. Besides, even _you_ have to realize that my whole plan of _manipulating the Hunters_ _and killing you_ was thought up in less than a minute after I discovered you. Perhaps Athena could devise a perfect plan in mere seconds, but I require a bit more time."

Naruto blinked slowly. "So. . . you're not going to kill me? Or manipulate the Hunters' emotions so they would hate Artemis?"

"Of _course_ not!" Aphrodite gasped. "In fact, I regret telling you my ill-thought-out plan. At the time, it seemed great, but in hindsight. . ." she shrugged. "It's too tacky."

"What?"

"It's the sort of plan that a B movie villain would come up with," Aphrodite explained patiently. She smiled. "I don't wish to kill you, Naruto. Nor will I twist the Hunters' emotions to hate Artemis."

"Ah, yes, Aphrodite," Artemis spoke up. "That reminds me. Touch Naruto, and I will send you to Tartarus personally."

Aphrodite sighed, looking at Naruto. "Isn't she just so _dreary?_ " she confided. "I _just_ said that I didn't want to kill you."

"I know," Artemis inclined her head. "But in the future, if you ever even _think_ about changing your mind," her eyes flashed, "then just know that even Zeus himself will not be able to stop me."

Aphrodite chuckled. "Careful, Artemis. I'm starting to think that you may actually love him." She paused. "As a mother, of course," she added. "However, if you love him the _other_ way, then I certainly won't judge," she winked. "It would certainly explain why you stayed single all these years."

Naruto choked on his spit. "That's _disgusting_."

"Agreed," Artemis concurred, a similar look of disgust on her face.

"But - " Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I admit, I may have been a little too harsh on you. I apologize for my words - and rudeness, I guess. Let's have a fresh start," he grinned at her.

Aphrodite narrowed her eyes. "Excuse me?"

Naruto paused. "Err, aren't you extending an olive branch right now?"

Aphrodite stared at him amusedly. "What? Of course not! Don't get me wrong, Naruto. I _despise_ you. I only came here to clear up any misunderstandings that may have popped up from our last meeting due to my reckless words. For you see, after much thought, I realized that I could do so much _more_ with you. What fun is there in simply blasting you out of existence? At the time of our last conversation, I hadn't fully registered and comprehended the ramifications of your existence, but. . . you're the _son of Artemis_." She leaned forward until her face was inches from his. "I am going to have _so_ much fun with you," she whispered alluringly.

"Aphrodite," Artemis said warningly.

"Oh relax, Artemis," Aphrodite waved her hand. "I'm not going to blast him or send monsters after him. That's something that the other gods may do, but it's not my style."

"So what are your plans?" Naruto asked warily.

Aphrodite tsked. "Like I said, Naruto, I'm not going to monologue like a tacky B movie villain. I blame our last conversation on temporary insanity."

"Temporary?" Artemis muttered.

"Hush, Artemis," Aphrodite said. "Anyway, Naruto, just know that what you said during our last meeting was not forgotten and certainly not forgiven." Her eyes flashed momentarily with barely suppressed rage. "I do hope you like tragedies. Because from now on. . . you'll be living one."

Naruto tensed up. "What - "

But Aphrodite was already gone, with only the scent of her perfume left behind.

XxX

"Out of all the gods, you just _had_ to choose Aphrodite as your enemy," Artemis sighed.

"Hey, in my defense, she _sucks_ ," Naruto countered.

Artemis inclined her head. "Fair enough."

A brief moment of silence descended over them as Naruto sipped his miso soup.

"Should I be worried?" he finally asked quietly.

Artemis hesitated. "Unlike the other gods, Aphrodite doesn't rely on physical damage. She attacks your emotions and the emotions of the people around you. Just. . . I'll negotiate with her later."

Naruto nodded. "Thank you."

"Yo, Naruto!" a voice called. Hermes jogged up to them with a smile.

"Lord Hermes," Naruto greeted.

"Just a quick question. As I'm sure Artemis recalls, approximately two years ago, Apollo came into a council meeting with a new. . . makeover. Was that you?" Hermes asked eagerly.

A foxy smirk spread over Naruto's face. "It depends. Are you here to get revenge on his behalf?"

Hermis grinned as well. "On the contrary, I am here to shake your hand for the _brilliant_ job you did."

Artemis watched bemusedly as Hermes and Naruto shook hands, a knowing glance of mutual respect being shared between the two of them. She shuddered slightly and hoped that they wouldn't engage in a prank war against each other. Apollo and Hermes had gotten into a prank war once. It took nearly two months to fix all the damage on both Olympus and the mortal world.

"You're not wearing a watch," Hermes noted.

Naruto chuckled. "You know, that's exactly what your son said to me."

Hermes froze, his expression darkening.

Naruto frowned at the sudden change in mood before he realized. "I meant Travis," he hastily clarified.

Hermes relaxed instantly, the cheer returning to his face. "Ah, I see, I see. However, keep in the mind that the difference in skill between the father and son is great."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that you have a _really_ nice pouch," Hermes smiled as he returned Naruto's kunai pouch to him.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Okay, that's impressive."

Hermes grinned. "Thank you - "

His phone rang. Hermes groaned. "Sorry, I gotta take this." He jogged away.

Naruto watched him leave. "Does he even know about Luke?" he asked.

"He does."

Naruto frowned. "He seems a little too. . _cheerful_ for a god whose son just died."

Artemis sighed. "Perhaps it may seem like that now, but when we first told him the news. . . well, let's just say that even Ares didn't dare make a joke."

"DRINKING CONTEST!" Dionysus bellowed over the noise of the crowd, his voice amplified magically. "ZEUS VERSUS POSEIDON! LET'S SETTLE WHO'S THE BEST OF THE BIG THREE, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"

A cheer went up from the crowd.

"Father and Uncle are at it again," Athena joined them. "I'm surprised you're still here, Artemis. Typically you would be in a forest by now."

Artemis shrugged wordlessly. "I wish to keep an eye on my Hunters. And Naruto."

"Lady Athena," Naruto smiled. "Thank you for what you did."

She inclined her head. "You are welcome, Naruto. From my observations, while you are undoubtedly powerful, even more so than the children of the Big Three themselves, you are a kind spirit at heart. Killing you would've been foolish. Besides, I do admit that I am rather curious as to what you would become."

"You weren't worried about me potentially betraying Olympus?"

Athena chuckled. "Betraying Olympus would entail betraying Artemis and Apollo as well." She tilted her head. "I highly doubt that would _ever_ happen. Unlike the children of the Big Three, there isn't anything the Titan Lord can use against you."

"True," Naruto agreed. "You know, Atlas tried to convince me to join by promising me that the Titans would create a better world." He snorted. "I mean, if he was going to lie, he should've at least come up with a more believable lie."

"Indeed." Athena looked at him. "In the upcoming war against the Titans, we will need a trump card. That trump card could very well be you. Keep on training and growing strong."

"I will," Naruto promised.

"Good." Athena turned to leave but then paused. "Oh, and by the way. . . I saw Aphrodite speak to you a few moments ago. Am I correct in assuming that she heavily dislikes you?"

Naruto's face darkened. "Yeah. She promised to make my life a tragedy."

Athena nodded. "While I cannot do anything to stop her, I can give you some advice. As you know, a god has absolute control over their domain - with one exception. Another god of the same domain is able to negate and even override their control. It's the reason why Oceanus is capable of preventing Poseidon from sinking the Princess Andromeda. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this."

Naruto frowned in thought. "Uhh. . . not really."

Athena sighed. "Who is the other god of love, Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes widened in revelation. "Eros," he breathed.

Athena smiled. "Correct. Seek out Eros, gain his favor, and perhaps you can mitigate the damage Aphrodite wishes to inflict."

Naruto nodded determinedly. "Got it. Thanks, Athena," he grinned.

"No problem."

"POSEIDON WINS!" Dionysus declared. "IN AN AMAZING DISPLAY OF HIS GUT'S ABILITY TO RETAIN LIQUID, HE HAS NARROWLY DEFEATED ZEUS! GIVE IT UP FOR THE GOD OF SEAS, EVERYONE!"

Another cheer went up.

"Ha! In your face, Zeus! My dad is _infinitely_ better than you!"

Instantly, the crowd grew quiet at Percy's words. Naruto facepalmed. Everyone slowly edged away from the son of Poseidon until a circle formed around him.

" **What did you say?** " Zeus said dangerously, a golden flush across his face from all the wine. Arcs of electricity leaped from his fingers.

The crowd parted before Zeus, forming a path as he walked forward. He stumbled several times and was incapable of maintaining a straight line, but soon, he was a few feet in front of Percy, towering over the demigod.

Percy, for his part, had paled drastically. "Nothing."

Zeus narrowed his eyes, pointing a shaking finger at Percy's face. White energy crackled at the tip, and Percy went still, his hand drifting to his pocket. "Watch yourself, son of Poseidon," he growled.

Athena sighed. "I should go," she gestured at the scene.

"Are you going to convince Zeus to not blast Percy?" Naruto questioned.

Athena looked at him, bemused. "The opposite, actually. I'm going to convince Zeus _to_ blast Percy."

Naruto tensed up. "What?!"

Athena smiled. "Kidding. Although I _do_ need to warn Percy Jackson to stay away from my daughter. . ." she left, walking towards Zeus, who was still delivering threats to Percy.

"GO ON, FATHER! BLAST PETER JOHNSON!" Dionysus cheered Zeus on.

Fortunately, Athena was able to pacify the King of Olympus. Zeus nodded reluctantly before walking away, sending one last glare at Percy. Poseidon, for his part, had observed the proceedings with an amused smile.

Percy looked relieved, until Athena started talking to him.

Then he paled even more.

XxX

Naruto made his way back into the throne room. He was looking for someone, and she wasn't at the party.

He smiled when he saw a familiar figure still tending to the hearth in the middle of the hall. "Hestia!" he called out.

Hestia turned to him, smiling warmly. "Naruto. How are you?"

"Happy," Naruto answered with a grin as he approached her. "Euphoric, even. I saved Artemis, all my friends and family are well, and the Council didn't blast me."

Hestia nodded. "That is good." Then she narrowed her eyes. "However, you broke your promise."

Naruto froze. "Umm, what?"

"You promised to stay alive."

There was a moment of silence.

"Can you take us to somewhere more discrete?" Naruto asked, looking around just in case someone was listening in.

Hestia nodded. "Very well." She waved her hand and suddenly they were back in Apollo's mansion.

"You died, Naruto," she said simply without any doubt.

"How do you know?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"Before you left, I set up a link between us," Hestia said. "It's similar to an empathy link. I _felt_ you die. But you're here right now, alive. _How_?"

Naruto paused before coming to a decision. "To understand that, we have to go back to the very beginning: introductions."

Hestia tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Naruto grinned. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. And I'm not from this dimension."

XxX

"Incompetent _fools_ ," a disembodied voice hissed with fury.

Prometheus knelt, bowing his head. "Apologies, my lord."

"How is it even _possible_ for you all to _fail_ so badly?" the Titan Lord seethed in rage. "Artemis was captured and the children of the Big Three were _right here_ , _on this very mountain_. Everything was set up _perfectly_. And you _blew it_."

"If I may, my lord," Prometheus began, "All of our failures can be tied back to a single source: Naruto."

The voice grew still. "Ah, yes. The son of Artemis who _defeated_ Atlas and _defied_ death itself. The wielder of the unknown power _chakra_."

"What shall we do with him?" Prometheus inquired. "Should we attempt to recruit him - "

"No. Kill him," the Titan Lord said simply.

Prometheus inclined his head. "Very well. I shall leave that job up to our guest then."

A figure hidden in the shadows of the room looked up in interest. Up until then, he appeared to have been dozing off, but when Prometheus mentioned him, his stance instantly became alert.

"Kill the son of Artemis?" the figure asked. "Sure thing. I had been planning on doing that anyway."

Prometheus grunted. "Where were you, anyway? After you silenced the manticore, why didn't you immediately return to Othrys? If you were here, then we may have been able to win."

The man chuckled. "Doubt it. And to answer your question, after I killed the manticore, I left the city because I sensed Apollo arriving. I didn't want to risk him discovering my presence. Besides, I didn't think you guys would actually _fail_ that badly. Anyway, I'll go gather some information. See ya."

Before Prometheus could respond, the figure was already gone in a burst of speed.

Prometheus sighed. "I don't like him. He is too young."

"Perhaps, but he is powerful. Hopefully, he'll be powerful enough to take down the son of Artemis."

Prometheus nodded. "Hopefully."

"Now then," the voice continued. "We already set up the ritual to transfer domains, and it is currently the Winter Solstice. It would be a shame to let all our preparations go to waste. After that, let's finalize our plans on the breakout. It's about time we liberated my brothers from their prisons in Tartarus, wouldn't you say?"

XxX

"LET ME GO!" Nico thrashed wildly in his chains, but he was unable to break free. A monster leered at him. It had leathery wings, claws, and glowing eyes. When Nico had been walking to the dinner pavilion, a large fissure formed underneath his feet and he dropped through, coming face-to-face with this monster. It then proceeded to tie him up and drop him into a cell with no openings.

"Hush, child," the monster said. "My Lord shall be back soon."

"SOMEONE! HELP! PERCY! NARUTO! BIANCA!"

The monster sighed before her form shifted, becoming a human female. Nico froze. "Hey, weren't you the lawyer that got us out of the Lotus Casino?"

"She was," a new voice said as a man walked through the solid wall and entered the cell. "Alecto, why is he in a cell? And in chains?"

"He tried to kill me," the Fury grumbled. "Then he tried to escape."

The man sighed before snapping his fingers. Nico suddenly found himself in a grand hall, no longer in chains. The man sat in a throne, looking down at him amusedly.

"Who are you?" Nico demanded.

"I am Hades. I am your father," Hades smiled at Nico's shocked look. "Oh, and before anything else, I should mention. To keep you safe, you'll be staying in the Underworld until your sixteenth birthday, and you're banned from leaving the Underworld. Do you have any questions?"

Nico only screamed.


	13. Chapter 13

Hestia stared up at Kurama with an unreadable expression. For once, Naruto couldn't get any read on her; her emotions and thoughts were totally hidden to him. Her eyes traced over Kurama's form, from his nine tails swishing around lazily behind him to the black fur around his red eyes stretching up to his ears.

Kurama stared right back at her with his customary glare on his face.

"Naruto," Hestia said dangerously. "I'm completely fine with you being a reincarnated ninja from another dimension that lied to me for three years." Naruto winced. When she put it _that_ way... "However," she continued, " _this_ is going too far."

" **What is it, goddess?"** Kurama asked mockingly. **"Afraid that I'm going to eat small children? Worried that I'm the hatred incarnate?"**

Even though his words were sarcastic, there was something in his tone that told Naruto that this was probably something that _had_ occurred before. Feared and believed to be evil just because of his monstrous appearance.

"No, it's not that," Hestia murmured, shaking her head. "It's just..." she fell silent for a moment before she whirled around to face Naruto, flames flickering wildly in her narrowed brown eyes. "You've had something _this_ cute living in your head _all_ this time, and you never introduced him to me?!"

Naruto blinked.

One of Kurama's tails crashed down, crushing several trees underneath.

"Hey!" Naruto snapped even as the crushed trees dematerialized into light within his mind. "Apology letter to the Log, _now!_ "

" **Quiet, brat** ," Kurama growled before turning his attention to Hestia. " _ **You**_ **.** " He leaned in closer challengingly to Hestia. " _ **What**_ **did you just say?** "

Hestia smiled. "I said that you're cute."

" **I...** " Kurama trailed off, at a rare loss for words.

"I mean, she's not wrong, y'know," Naruto piped up with a grin that told Kurama just how much he was enjoying this. "Once you get past your prickly personality, you're really nothing but a cute furball." Hestia nodded vehemently in agreement.

Something snapped. It may have been Kurama's sanity.

"Kurama, was it?" Hestia took a step forward. Kurama took a step back, eyeing her warily. Naruto noticed. Immediately, he knew what to do.

"Oi, oi, oi," Naruto began with a smirk. "Don't tell me that you're _scared_ of her?"

Kurama scoffed. " **Scared of** _ **her**_ **? Don't make me laugh**."

"A giant teddy bear," Hestia muttered under her breath, a fervent light in her eyes as she walked - no, _stalked_ towards Kurama. "You're like a giant teddy bear just _asking_ to be hugged into oblivion."

Fear filled Kurama's eyes as he cautiously backed up until he reached the edge of the clearing, his tails just a few inches away from the trees. For a moment, he seemed to contemplate whether or not it was worth crushing the trees to escape, but one look at Naruto's suddenly scathing glare shot down that idea.

And then Hestia was right in front of him, peering up at him without any fear. Then she sighed despondently. "Whatever. Hugs aren't fun if the other person - or kitsune - doesn't want them."

Kurama's sigh of relief sent a breeze throughout the clearing, rustling the grass and leaves.

Hestia reappeared next to Naruto's side and smiled at Kurama warmly. "I'm Hestia, the goddess of the hearth and family. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kurama."

" **The pleasure... is all mine."** Naruto could _see_ the visible effort it took Kurama to say those words - although to be fair, Kurama likely didn't have much practice in being polite.

"I take it that you were instrumental in Atlas's defeat?" Hestia asked.

At that, Kurama smirked. " **Of course. That battle was all me."**

"Now that's a lie," Naruto immediately replied.

" **Oh? Remind me again, who was it that landed the finishing blow on Atlas?"**

"You did that _with_ my body, so technically, it was a joint effort." Naruto countered. "Therefore, I demand half the credit."

" **You wish.** " He turned his attention back to Hestia. " **Why do you ask?"**

"Thank you," Hestia said, bowing her head.

Kurama paused in confusion. " **What?** "

"Thank you," Hestia repeated, her tone completely sincere. "Even after all these millennia, Atlas's power and brutality remains fresh in my mind. By defeating him, you saved the lives of everyone on that mountain." She beamed at him. "Thank you for saving my family."

Kurama scrutinized her for one long moment, blinking once when he sensed no deceit or falsehood. Incredibly enough, it appeared that she was being completely sincere. He chuckled in amusement, shaking his head slightly in disbelief and amazement. " **You're welcome, Hestia."**

In all his centuries of being alive, Kurama had only encountered a handful of people who were genuinely kind. Hagoromo. Asura. Naruto. And now, he can add the first goddess to the list. Hestia.

Still though. What were the odds of Naruto being related to someone as kind as he was? Practically zero - but then again, Naruto always did have a habit of defying the odds.

XxX

After being teleported back to Olympus, Naruto quickly went to find his questmates. He located them at a quiet corner of the garden. Percy, Zoe, Thalia, Bianca, and Annabeth were sitting on the soft grass, a pile of food around them.

Percy spotted him first. "Naruto!" he shot up to his feet, concern in his eyes. "Where were you?"

"I went to go talk with Hestia," Naruto answered.

"Thank the gods," Percy breathed a sigh of relief. "I was getting a little worried there."

Naruto tilted his head. "What for?"

"He was afraid that Zeus had done something to you," Annabeth explained. "Got all freaked out too."

Naruto stared pointedly at the assorted food on the ground. "You were definitely in a hurry, I see," he said dryly, taking a seat.

Percy shrugged, sitting back down as well. "I mean, gotta have dramatic timing and all that."

Naruto chuckled. "Of course, of course - " he suddenly whipped his head to stare at Percy incredulously. "Hold up, _you_ were worried about _me_?! Dude, did you _hear_ what you said to Zeus after your dad won the drinking contest?!"

"Balls of steel, by the way," Thalia said admiringly. "I can't believe you actually said that right to my father's face."

"Beyond stupid is more like it," Zoe said, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "There was a very good chance that Zeus would've blasted you for the insult. It was a supremely foolish decision."

Percy raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, guys. Seriously? Give me some credit here."

At everyone's blank stares, he sighed. "Look. With my dad right there, there was no way Zeus could risk blasting me. Not only would my dad have stopped him, but even if the blast did manage to go through, the consequences would be too dire for Zeus. He couldn't risk angering my dad like that, especially with the threat of the Titans. Moreover, you all saw how much Zeus was drinking. I doubt he would remember anything from this party, so any later punishment is unlikely."

"You don't know that," Bianca frowned. "Alcohol might affect gods differently."

"He could barely walk a straight line," Percy snorted. "And on top of that, judging by how he was winking at two nymphs during the drinking contest... well, let's just say that the combined efforts of a boatload of alcohol, some _happy time_ , and Hera's subsequent punishment of said _happy time_ would wipe the memory of my insult from his mind."

"Hera knows already?" Thalia asked confusedly. "I thought my dad would be smarter than that." Naruto noticed how she didn't even deny her father cheating on his wife.

Percy paused. "Well, she _will_ know once I send her an anonymous message via sacrificial flame."

 **I like him,** Kurama immediately said. **Unless... Naruto, please tell me that he's not a ball of angst that's obsessed with revenge.**

_He's not._

Kurama grinned. **Perfect. Now** _ **this**_ **is a friendship that I can actually approve of.**

 _Hey, what's wrong with Sasuke?_ Naruto asked, offended.

 **It would be faster to list what's** _ **not**_ **wrong with him**.

"I saw the perfect opportunity and I took it," Percy continued. "After all..." he grinned deviously, "how many people can say that they've insulted Zeus to his face and lived with no consequences?"

There was a moment of silence as they absorbed his words.

Zoe broke the silence first. "I did not expect that," she laughed.

"Dear gods," Thalia chuckled. "I see that you've taken Chiron's lessons to heart."

"Dude," Naruto grinned. "Well played."

Annabeth shook her head in amusement. "Now if only you could apply that level of thinking to your studies."

Percy groaned. "Don't remind me. I still have to get back to school once winter break is over." There were simultaneous sympathetic winces around the group.

"Wait, Zoe," Bianca suddenly spoke up worriedly. "Do the Hunters of Artemis have to go to school?"

"Definitely not," Zoe answered. "Although we _do_ have our own lessons and curriculums taught in a non-traditional classroom setting."

Thalia snapped her fingers, her entire face brightening up. "I just remembered! That means that I don't have to go to school anymore." Then she smirked at Percy. "How does it feel, to have to go back to the most mind-numbing, boring, and torturous place on Earth?"

Percy's eyes glazed over in a thousand yard stare. "I... oh gods..." He thought of something. "At least Annabeth and Naruto have to suffer - that is, go to school too."

"Ah, but the thing is, I _like_ school, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth smiled at him, amusement shining in her gaze. Percy sagged a little at her words. He turned to Naruto, desperate to have a fellow comrade in the hellish situation that could share his pain.

Naruto simply laughed, crushing all of Percy's hopes. "Nope," he grinned. "I've never gone to school before, and I'm not planning to start."

"That's not _fair_!" Percy exclaimed in outrage.

"Feels bad, man," Thalia replied.

"Besides, you _deserve_ school," Annabeth told him without a hint of sympathy.

"What? Why?!"

"Because you didn't even know the fundamental properties of _domains_?"

"Why do I need to care about that?"

"Because it's _basic demigod knowledge_?"

Percy shrugged. "I've never needed that information before to defeat monsters."

"You also didn't know anything about how the Mist functioned. Nor did you know about essence combination," Zoe listed out. "There is a startling amount of information that you are entirely ignorant of."

" _What_?!" Annabeth stared at Percy disbelievingly. "I - have you even been researching the Greek myths in your spare time?"

"No?" Percy said it as if it was obvious. "Do I seem like the type to do that?"

"Dude, what have you even been _doing_ at camp for the last few years?" Thalia asked. "Have you even taken a single academic course yet?"

"Ah." Percy looked away sheepishly. "Not exactly."

There was a _thud_ as Annabeth and Thalia facepalmed simultaneously. Zoe just observed them with mild interest.

"Let me get something straight," Annabeth said in a tight voice. "After _two_ years, you haven't taken a _single_ academic course at camp yet?"

"Yup." Percy replied nonchalantly, popping the P. "The only non-practical course I've taken was Chiron's Common Sense class."

"I thought it was strange that I never saw Percy in my classes," Thalia muttered. "But seriously? You haven't taken History of the Gods, Analysis of Monsters, Secrets of the Mist, Applied Science..." she trailed off as Percy shook his head. "Huh. That explains _so_ much."

"I just care about the important stuff," Percy took a sip from his goblet of what appeared to be blue Coke. "I don't see a point in spending hours learning and memorizing information that I'm never going to use. I'd much rather invest the time in training and honing my fighting skills."

 **He's a lot like you**. Kurama commented.

Naruto agreed. He saw many parallels between Percy and himself when he was younger.

 **When you were younger?** Kurama laughed. **Don't give me that. You're just as stupid now as you were six years ago, back when you were a fresh genin.**

_Excuse me-?!_

**Didn't you forget that only senjutsu worked on Juubito?** Kurama said amusedly. **In the middle of a fight? Mere** _ **minutes**_ **after it was revealed that only senjutsu would affect him?**

...

**That's what I thought.**

_To be fair, that was three years ago, back when I was just seventeen._

**And during those three years, I somehow highly doubt that you became a prodigious genius.**

Naruto grumbled in his mind, but in the end, he didn't really have anything to say. After all, even though he would never willingly admit it to Kurama... it was the truth. Naruto wasn't arrogant enough to think that he was perfect. In terms of academics, he was severely lacking - he still remembered the disaster that was the written portion of the Chuunin Exams. He had gotten only one question correct, the question being _What is your name?_ However, he was well aware of his own flaws, and he always planned around them to make everything work out. Percy just had to learn to do the same.

"And if you _do_ have to use the information one day?" Annabeth asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. "If there's an enemy that can't be defeated without a vital piece of information? Then what will you do?"

Percy shrugged. "Then I'll just ask you." He smiled at her. "Between the two of us, I'd say we can take on any enemy, wouldn't you say?"

"Y-yeah." Annabeth stammered, slightly taken aback by the unwavering conviction in his tone. She looked down at her food, clearly not sure how to deal with the sheer amount of faith he had in her.

Percy, for his part, just stared at her blankly. Then he shrugged and took another sip of blue Coke, dismissing it from his mind. There was no point in trying to understand girls, after all.

"Split personality," Bianca spoke up. "Naruto, you mentioned a split personality during the meeting. Are you... okay? Mentally?"

**I still feel like you could've come up with a better excuse than that.**

_Hey, shut it. I didn't hear you volunteering anything when we discussed the plan._

Naruto grinned. "Yup! His name's Kurama, by the way. We're friends."

"Living alone with Apollo for three years..." Zoe muttered. "Honestly, I'm surprised that your mental state isn't any _worse_. Just gaining a split personality is probably one of the best-case scenarios."

**... I barely even know Apollo, and I feel a little bad for him. Is his reputation even worse than** _**mine** _ **?**

_Depends on how you define_ worse.

"Well, demigods have a tendency to have dyslexia and ADHD," Annabeth said. "So I guess having a split personality isn't _too_ bad?"

They considered that for a moment.

Thalia shrugged. "Let's go with that. Kurama, if you can hear us, it's nice to meet you."

**I couldn't care less, human.**

Naruto smiled. "He says it's great to meet you guys, and that he wishes to be friends with all of you."

**I did** _**not** _ **.**

"The Apollo cabin would probably want to take a look at you," Percy remarked. "Get prepared for a _lengthy_ medical and psychological exam."

Naruto shivered. "Yeah... hard pass on that."

"Speaking of camp..." Thalia turned to Naruto. "Have you decided what you're going to do yet?"

Naruto frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Are you going to stay at Camp Half-Blood? Or will you join the Hunt?"

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but then shut it as he realized that he himself didn't know the answer. Fortunately, Zoe answered for him.

"He's going with us, obviously." she said casually. "The Hunt does not leave any of their members behind. Especially not the son of Artemis."

"Hey wait," Percy frowned. "What do you mean by that? He's a half-blood, right? That means he has to stay at Camp Half-Blood, since the Ancient Laws forbid Artemis from interacting with him too much. I know that Zeus favors Artemis and all, but even he can't give her that much leeway." Naruto noted with mild interest that even though Percy just learned of the Ancient Laws a few hours ago, he seemed to already have a solid grasp of the concepts.

Zoe nodded. "Typically, you would be correct. However, Artemis already went to convince Lord Zeus to make an exception."

Annabeth sat up straight, intrigued. "How?"

"I do not know," she admitted. "However, when I spoke to Artemis on the matter, she seemed confident."

"Perhaps she'll call in a favor? Or even _ask_ for a favor?" Annabeth mused. "Artemis always was Zeus's favorite daughter. If Zeus ever _did_ grant an exception, then it would be for her."

"Wasn't your mother Zeus's favorite daughter?" Bianca inquired.

She shook her head. "No. At one point Athena was, but after the failed rebellion... their relationship recovered eventually, but it never quite returned to what it once was."

"Even if Zeus did like Artemis enough, does he like _Naruto_ enough?" Thalia contemplated.

"True..." Annabeth said slowly.

Thalia turned to Naruto with a grin. "Oh yeah, by the way, Naruto you have my eternal respect for calling my dad _Super Thunder Gramps_."

Naruto grinned. "Thank you!"

"It's not something to be proud of," Zoe sighed. "We really need to talk about your tendency to antagonize the gods."

"Hold up." Naruto held up his hands in protest. "I didn't call him Super Thunder Gramps to antagonize him or anything. It was a genuine nickname!"

Zoe stared at him incredulously. "Are you serious?"

"Well, yeah." Naruto shrugged. "I give nicknames to everyone."

**And you're a blasphemous heathen for that.**

_Excuse me?_

**You called my father Hagoromo, the Sage of Six Paths himself...** _ **Super Sage Gramps,**_ Kurama growled.

_You're not fine with that?_

**Of** _**course** _ **I'm not fine with that! The only reason I'm able to somewhat tolerate it is because I've already been desensitized to your particular brand of insanity - and what a sad reality that is.**

_Whatever you say, Giant Cuddly Teddy Bear._

**I'll fucking kill you.**

Naruto gave a mental chuckle. _Love you too_.

"I don't remember you calling Apollo by any nicknames though," Percy commented.

A dark, haunted look passed over Naruto's face. "I did once," he whispered. "I called him Super Sunny Pervert." In his mind, Kurama roared with laughter.

Zoe nodded approvingly. "An apt nickname. I'll be sure to use it the next time I see him - "

"NO!" Naruto coughed lightly. "Err, that is to say, no. You do not want to know what he will do."

"Punish me?" Zoe tilted her head. "I'd like to see him try."

"He could always curse you to talk only in rhyme," Percy mused. "That did happen to me once."

"Really?" Thalia said, intrigued. "What happened?"

"I may or may not have, umm... accidentally ruptured the Apollo cabin's plumbing."

Thalia laughed. "That was _you_? No, of course that was you."

"Hey, in my defense, we were having a basketball game, and things got really intense, okay?" Percy scowled. "I could only talk in rhyme for three days afterwards." he turned to Naruto. "Was that what happened to you?"

Naruto shook his head. "Worse," he said solemnly.

"Worse _?"_ Zoe asked concernedly. "How did he punish you?"

"He didn't punish me. He _rewarded_ me."

At their confused looks, he expanded.

"After he heard me call him that, he teared up before hugging me tightly, saying about how I had perfectly encapsulated all his best qualities into a single name before deciding that I needed a _reward_. Said reward involved retelling all of his... _conquests_ as a pervert," Naruto recounted with a haunted stare, lost in terrible memories. "He talked for thirty-six hours straight, emitting ultra-bright light that cycled through the colors of the rainbow to keep me awake."

The Hunters and campers all winced collectively.

"Oh gods," Zoe whispered. "That's..."

"It was as if he was a walking, glowing RGB light that just _wouldn't shut the Hades up_..." Naruto shivered as traumatic flashbacks assaulted him once more, interrupted only by the sound of -

_Damn it, can you shut up? It's not funny!_

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH DEAR SAGE, IT IS! IT'S ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!**

_Yeah, yeah, yeah_ , Naruto grumbled. _You're damn lucky that you were asleep during that time. Actually unfair._

 **Given that I was forced to witness your conception firsthand, I say that this is just poetic justice,** Kurama sniffed as Naruto gagged automatically. Then he smirked. **So, does this mean that you know all of the** _ **backstories**_ **, so to speak, of the children of Apollo?**

_..._

_..._

_I literally just realized that I_ do _know... oh gods..._ _ **oh gods...**_

There was a mental _thud_ as Kurama fell down, unable to keep himself upright from how hard he was laughing.

"And that's why I call Apollo by his name," Naruto finished with a traumatized gaze.

A heavy silence descended over them.

"Well, after knowing that, having a split personality is completely understandable," Thalia said.

There was a muttering of agreement around the group.

XxX

"Naruto, can you please stay at Camp Half-Blood for a few days as I fully explain the situation to my Hunters?" Artemis asked. "I suspect they'll need some time before they're ready to meet you."

Naruto brightened. "Sure! Can I stay in your cabin while I'm at camp?"

Artemis paused, a strange look passing over her face. "Yes, you may." she responded before murmuring, "That reminds me..."

"Hmm?"

"It's nothing."

XxX

"We'll see you in a few days," Zoe said. "Farewell, Naruto. And please, while you're at camp, take care." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "I do not know if the other campers will react to you well. Let me know if they cause any trouble, and I shall see to their case _personally_."

Thalia snorted. "Chill. Trust me, after Naruto kicked your collective asses in Capture the Flag, it's going to take a _lot_ more than being the son of Artemis for people to turn on him." Zoe looked outraged, but before she could say anything, Thalia continued. "Oh, and Naruto, don't worry. I'll try to convince the Hunters that you're pretty cool." She paused before adding with a smile that told Naruto she was joking, "For a male, that is."

Naruto smiled. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

He frowned slightly when he realized that Bianca was uncharacteristically silent. "Hey, Bianca, you alright?"

"I feel like we're forgetting something," Bianca muttered. "Something important."

Thalia tilted her head. "Are we? We have all of our magic items and - nope, that's it. We have everything."

Bianca frowned, her brow furrowing in thought. "I guess you're right - " her eyes widened. "My brother!"

There was a moment of silence.

"Damn," Percy cursed. "I completely forgot."

"I remember now," Annabeth said, eyes narrowed. "Hades said that he brought Nico to the Underworld, didn't he?"

"I can't believe I forgot," Bianca said, her face stricken with guilt and worry. "What kind of a sister am I?"

"In our defense," Thalia said grimly, "We were a bit more focused on... other things."

Naruto clapped his hands together. "Alright," he announced determinedly. "Time to storm the Underworld."

"Time to _what_ now?" a voice spoke up from behind him.

"Hey Mom," Naruto smiled cheerfully without turning around. "I need to invade the Underworld real quick to retrieve Nico. Be right back."

"Absolutely not," Artemis said dryly. "You're going directly to Camp Half-Blood and staying there."

Naruto's eyes flashed defiantly as he spun around, looking directly at Artemis, who had her arms crossed. "I need to save Nico - "

"From what?" Artemis interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "It's not as if Hades is going to torture him or anything. You heard him - he brought Nico to the Underworld to protect him from my father's lightning bolts."

"Damn, Hades is kinda paranoid," Percy muttered.

Artemis turned to him with a detached expression. "No," she said coolly. "He's not."

Percy paused before narrowing his eyes as the implications of her statement hit him. "There's no way."

"There is," she responded simply. Naruto could've sworn that her eyes flitted to Bianca for a moment. "Logically, it makes perfect sense. Unlike Percy, Thalia, or even Bianca, Nico is a complete unknown. We know nothing of his allegiances or loyalties. And he's the son of Hades to boot."

"Nico would never turn on Olympus," Bianca said angrily.

Artemis held up a hand placatingly. "I know. However, when the fate of the world itself is at stake... While I may not necessarily agree with my father's decisions, I can understand where he's coming from." She sighed. "As it stands, Nico is probably _safer_ in the Underworld right now than on earth." She cast her gaze over to Naruto. "So please, don't try to 'rescue' him."

Naruto nodded reluctantly. "Understood."

Bianca clenched her fists. "That isn't fair."

"We're demigods," Percy murmured. "Life rarely is."

"On that note, it's time to leave." The moon chariot descended from the sky and landed behind Artemis. "Zoe, Thalia, Bianca, let's go. Naruto," her gaze softened. "I'll see you later." With that, she entered her chariot and waited for her Hunters.

Thalia hugged Annabeth good-bye as Zoe gave a single nod at them before they both got into the chariot as well. Bianca, however, hesitated.

"I'll make sure he's safe," Percy said. "I promise. Hades still owes me a favor."

Bianca relaxed slightly. "Thank you," she replied gratefully. "I'll try to contact my father as well." She got into the chariot as well and a moment later, the moon chariot was in the night sky.

"The sun chariot is cooler than the moon chariot," Percy said out of nowhere.

"Percy!" Annabeth chided.

"What?" he replied defensively. "Just saying."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow in amusement. ADHD demigods with the attention span of a chipmunk. No wonder they had forgotten about Nico.

XxX

"Hey, where's Apollo?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," Percy replied. "I don't think he even came to the party."

"Huh. Strange." Naruto shrugged. "Whatever. He's probably fine." He chuckled. "Knowing him, he probably didn't even make it three steps into the party courtyard before he went home with the first pretty girl he saw."

XxX

Being the god of prophecy came with numerous perks, including some perks most people didn't know about. See, the term _prophecy_ was rather misleading, since it implied that Apollo only had control over prophecies of the future, which wasn't the case. His domain covered a vast range of powers and abilities that only a few other beings possessed full knowledge of - with good reason.

While Apollo often boasted of his music, poetry, and archery skills - rightfully so, since he was a complete _beast_ \- he almost rarely advertised his prophecy abilities. Primarily because nobody really _cared_ ; prophecy powers were nowhere as flashy as hitting a flawless 360 blindfolded noscope from a hundred miles away or playing every single musical instrument ever invented telepathically _at the same time_. As such, most demigods and even gods were unaware of the full extent of his powers.

One of his more obscure powers was clairvoyance, the ability to perceive the world around him with only his mind. With clairvoyance, it was nigh impossible for Apollo to lose a game of hide-and-seek, as Naruto had found out the hard way. More importantly, he could know the contents of a conversation in another room without actually being able to hear or see anything.

Due to his clairvoyance flaring up randomly - similar to his other prophecy powers, his clairvoyance would arbitrarily activate at the oddest times - Apollo knew with perfect clarity what Naruto had just said.

His left eye twitched in annoyance.

Going home with the first pretty girl he saw? He _wished_ that was the case. Oh how he _wished_. Because instead of going home with the first pretty girl he saw, Apollo had been accosted and practically kidnapped by three ancient, very-not-pretty but very-much-pissed-off goddesses.

"ANSWER ME, APOLLO. _WHAT DID YOU DO?!_ "

"OH GODS IT WASN'T ME, I SWEAR. PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME. IT WASN'T ME!"

Apollo's pleas of innocence fell on deaf ears as the Three Fates advanced on him menacingly, each wielding a huge pair of scissors with long gold-and-silver blades that scared Apollo far more than any sword or spear could.

"Clotho, _please_ ," Apollo looked at the Fate of Birth imploringly. He winced at the withering glare he received in return.

"Lachesis?" he tried again pleadingly, turning his gaze. The Fate of Life's cold, dead stare sent shivers down his immortal spine. There was no mercy in those eyes.

With that, he turned over to the final Fate. "Atrophos? _Et tu?_ "

Strangely enough, she wasn't glaring at him but rather she seemed intently focused on a lower part of him, a certain appendance he took great amounts of pride in -

He whimpered when the Fate of Death snapped her scissors shut with an audible _schlink_ , her gaze still focused on his manhood.

The message sent was painfully clear.

"Enough games. We'll give you one last chance," Clotho began threateningly. "Tell us what you did, and we shall let you leave painfully in one piece."

Apollo frowned. "Err, don't you mean you'll let me leave _unharmed_ in one piece?"

Lachesis tilted her head. "Better leaving painfully in one piece than leaving painfully _in pieces_." She absently twirled her scissors around in her hand, her eyes glinting with an unholy light.

Apollo laughed nervously. "Now, now," he held up his hands placatingly. "I'm sure we can talk about this like calm, reasonable gods - " his eyes widened suddenly as he pointed behind the Fates. "Hey look! A distraction! Let's pay attention to it!"

Amazingly enough, they actually fell for it, spinning around. Probably because they had virtually no combat experience. Apollo immediately took advantage of the opportunity, wasting no time in entering his divine form and getting the Tartarus out of there.

He breathed a sigh of relief. _Holy Zeus, that was actually the most terrifying thing I've been through in the past few centuries._

XxX

 **That is the** _ **worst**_ **knockoff of the Byakugan I have** _ **ever**_ **seen,** Kurama remarked dryly.

Naruto couldn't help but agree.

In front of them stood Argus, the camp security chief who had come to pick them up and take them back to Camp Half-Blood. He would've looked like a typical athletic blonde if not for the countless eyes all over his body: on his arms, on his legs, on his face, on his neck. Naruto vaguely recalled reading about Argus once; Hera had created him with a hundred eyes so he would have no blind spots and would be the perfect guard.

 **It's like an evolved version of Danzo** , Kurama muttered. **Ironically enough, the Gentle Fist would probably be the** _ **most**_ **effective on Argus.**

Naruto winced at the thought. Oh gods. How did Argus even _fight_? It must hurt like hell every time he battled with someone. The security guard may not look like it, but he was undeniably tough as hell.

**And if Gaara fought him? I doubt he even needs to** _**attack** _ **\- just send a sandstorm in Argus's general direction and it'll be all over.**

Despite himself, Naruto snorted.

"Why are we taking a taxi?" Percy wondered.

Annabeth shrugged. "No idea. Just be glad it's not the Grey Sisters," she smirked.

Percy groaned. "Ugh. Don't remind me."

Argus stayed silent.

XxX

"Hey Chiron!" Percy called out cheerfully. "We're back."

Chiron had been reclining in his wheelchair at the porch of the Big House, a serene expression on his face as he gazed up at the night sky. The moment he heard Percy, however, he whipped his head around to stare at their approaching figures, looking at Percy blankly. Then he stepped forward slowly, reverting to horse form as he did so.

Percy faltered slightly at the almost frightening intensity in Chiron's gaze. "Uhh, Chiron? Is everything alright - " His puzzlement transformed into outright horror as Chiron _charged_ at him with a wild look in his eyes.

"SWEET MERCIFUL HADES PLEASE CHIRON WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS!"

XxX

Ask anyone at Camp Half-Blood what they thought of Mr. D, and they would probably say something along the lines of "He's an asshole." Or worse. Even his own sons, while they loved him dearly, would admit that he wasn't exactly the model example of a good person.

And if anyone at Camp Half-Blood saw Dionysus as he was right now, they would likely stare slack-jawed, their image of him obliterated in their minds, before questioning everything they knew about the world and their sanity itself.

"You know, we really ought to do this more often," Ariadne smiled beautifically at him as she snuggled in closer.

Dionysus chuckled. "We should," he agreed, tightening his embrace around his wife.

They were cuddling in one of his gardens, enjoying each other's presence. The sweet smell of grapes permeated the air, and although the stone bench they were sitting on looked uncomfortable, it was enchanted so that it was softer than feathers.

Dionysus was rarely able to spend time with his wife like this, so whenever he got the chance, he made sure to enjoy the time to the fullest. "Say, later tonight, how about we - "

He was interrupted by a flash of golden light.

Dionysus snarled in annoyance as Apollo tumbled into the garden. "Get the _Hades_ out."

Apollo shook his head, disoriented. "Where am I - " he looked at Dionysus and Ariadne. Ariadne looked amused while Dionysus had a death glare on his face. "Oh. _Oh_. Dude, I am _so_ sorry. I was kinda distracted trying to shake off my tail, and I really wasn't thinking of a specific destination when I teleported. My bad."

"Shake off your tail?" Ariadne repeated curiously. "Why? Who's after you?"

There was the sound of an explosion off in the distance.

A look of fear passed over Apollo's face. "Gotta go _bye_." He turned around but then paused as he glanced downward, his eyes glowing gold for a moment. "Oh, and Dionysus?"

" _What?"_ the wine god snapped.

"You may want to check up on Chiron."

Another flash of light, and the sun god was gone.

Dionysus sighed wearily. "Now then, where were we?"

Ariadne's lips quirked up into a smile. "Aren't you going to check up on Chiron?"

Dionysus snorted. "Not my problem."

"Dionysus," she said reproachfully.

He held her stare for a moment before relenting. " _Fine_ ," he said with a good-natured sigh. Ariadne always did manage to bring out the best in him. He tilted his head, purple light flaring to life in his eyes. "Now let's see," he muttered. "Chiron... where are you - "

Dionysus's eyes widened. "Wait, he can't possibly be - SHIT. SHIT SHIT SHIT." he turned to his wife. "Gotta go, love you," he said hurriedly as he quickly planted a kiss on her cheek.

"What happened?" she asked in concern.

"He finally snapped."

With those words, Dionysus dematerialized.

Ariadne paused for a moment. Then his words fully sunk in.

She paled.

XxX

Percy stumbled back in shock as Chiron stampeded towards him, freezing as a deep primal fear filled his eyes. Getting run down by an angry centaur was fucking _terrifying_. Before he could react, Chiron was already right in front of him, rearing up in his full majestic glory.

In a flash of purple light, Dionysus materialized behind Chiron just as he was about to trample Percy, holding him back with both of his arms and all of his strength. "Wait wait wait, Chiron, _wait_!" the wine god shouted hastily. "You can't mutilate Peter Johnson just yet!"

A sound of pure rage escaped Chiron as he was unable to articulate coherent words.

"Please, Chiron. You know that I want to see Peter Johnson suffer as much as you do, if not even more," Dionysus grunted as Chiron strained against his bonds. "But you can't eviscerate him just yet!"

"Yeah!" Percy agreed, then blinked in shock as he realized he just agreed with _Dionysus._

"Just think of all the paperwork!" Dionysus continued desperately.

"... not the reason I would've gone with, but that works too."

"Mountains of paperwork, Chiron! MOUNTAINS. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?!" Dionysus paled when he realized his words weren't getting through to the enraged centaur, whose thrashings only seemed to doubled in intensity. "PLEASE, CHIRON! EVEN IF _YOU'RE_ WILLING TO DO IT, THINK ABOUT _ME_! THIS IS THE SON OF POSEIDON HERE! IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HIM, _I'LL_ BE THE ONE CALLED IN TO GIVE A VERBAL REPORT!"

"PAIN!" Chiron snarled. "HE... NEEDS... PAIN!" Chiron's normal eloquent self seemed to have vanished completely. Monosyllabic words were all he could muster.

"And I concur completely!" Dionysus's eyes widened as he was being overpowered by the immortal centaur. Grape vines exploded out from the ground and wrapped around Chiron, further restraining him. "But this isn't the way to do it! Subtlety, my old friend, SUBTLETY! We can spike his drink or something! I'll even pull out my top-tier blackmail material!"

"I... have many objections to that."

"Quiet, Patrick!" Dionysus shot Percy a glare before returning his attention back to Chiron. "Just calm yourself down, _please_!"

"I don't even understand!" Percy said helplessly. "I did nothing wrong! Why are you even mad at me?"

Percy immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say. Chiron calmed down immediately, regaining his composure in record speed. A dark look entered his eyes. "You did nothing wrong?" he asked dangerously.

There was a moment of silence as Percy reviewed his memories to make sure he was actually in the clear. "Yup!" Percy answered confidently when he couldn't find any catastrophic offenses he had allegedly committed. "I'm 100% innocent - "

"Where's my van, Percy?" Chiron suddenly said in a deceptively calm tone.

Percy froze. "Ah."

"Where. Is. My. _Kronos-be-damned van?!"_

The temperature around them seemed to drop by twenty degrees as an ominous presence suddenly weighed down on them all. Dionysus, Percy, and Annabeth shivered, and even Naruto was slightly disconcerted.

"Kronos, get your ass out of my camp," Chiron said, not even missing a beat.

The presence drew back in shock.

Chiron snorted. "Don't give me that, Father. You were somehow completely outmaneuvered by a kid who hasn't even reached double digits in age yet."

"That time stop was an asshole move, by the way," Naruto added.

"Face it. You're past your prime, _old man_ ," Chiron said. "It's time to retire."

Naruto could practically _sense_ Kronos's seething outrage. However, the Titan Lord was obviously unable to do anything besides observe. It was a testament to his immeasurable power that he was able to even manifest within the camp's magical borders, and it was probably only due to the invokement of his name.

"Now begone!" Chiron made a three-fingered claw over his heart before pushing outward while the camp's magical border flared at the same time. And then the presence was gone.

"Whoa," Dionysus looked admiringly at Chiron. "That was legitimately the most suicidal thing I've ever seen in - well, _ever_. _Respect_."

"Thank you," Chiron smiled. "Now that that's been taken care of..." he turned back to Percy, his eyes narrowing once more. "Where. Is. My. Van. _Perseus Jackson?"_

Percy laughed nervously as he began slowly backing away. "Haha, funny thing, really. Err..."

" _That's what I thought_. You have chosen death. Now face it _like a man_."

"Wait wait wait!" Percy protested as Chiron renewed his struggles to break free from Dionysus. "That's not even my fault! Why are you blaming _me_?! What about Thalia?! Or Zoe?! Hades, even Naruto and Bianca! They were all there too!"

"Oi, don't drag me into this," Naruto said from off to the side where he and Annabeth stood. Annabeth was currently observing the proceedings with great interest, her grey eyes filled with amusement, while Naruto had started outright snickering at the situation once he realized what was going on.

"They're all protected by deitical immunity," Chiron growled. "I can't even touch them without inviting Artemis's wrath onto my ass. So guess who's going to be the lucky recipient of all of my _unbridled fury?_ "

"... not me?" Percy tried hopefully.

Chiron reared up before slamming his front hooves down into the ground. A tremor rippled through the ground as the earth underneath cracked from the sheer force.

"I... see your point."

" _Good_. Now stay still so I can disembowel you. Dionysus, if you would please remove my restraints?"

Dionysus was silent for a moment as he deliberated over something. "Chiron," he finally said.

"You'll let me do it?" Chiron asked, hope and optimism shining in his eyes.

Dionysus shook his head. "Not that. If... if you don't do it, then I'll... I'll..." It seemed to be taking all of Dionysus's willpower to get those words out. "I'll let you have my specialty wine."

Chiron's eyes widened in shock. "Your specialty wine - you mean the bottle of wine that's over two thousands years old? The bottle you had been saving to drink the moment your punishment at Camp Half-Blood was over? _That_ bottle of wine?!"

"Yes. If you don't... deliver your retribution on Parker, then I'll give you the bottle, no strings attached." Saying those words seemed to physically pain Dionysus.

"It's a deal," Chiron said immediately. The grape vines receded back into the ground as Dionysus tentatively stepped away from the centaur, who had a serene expression on his face once more. "Please leave the wine in my office," he smiled. "And thank you, Lord Dionysus, for your generosity."

Dionysus choked back a sob as he dematerialized, leaving only the scent of grapes behind.

"Now then," Chiron turned to Naruto and Annabeth, completely ignoring Percy. "Annabeth, it's wonderful to see you safe and sound. I admit, I had feared for the worst, and you have no idea how relieved I am to see you alive and well." Indeed, his eyes were oddly bright, although his voice remained steady.

 _He cares_ , Naruto realized in a sudden revelation as he looked at Chiron in a new light. _Despite his words, he truly cares for the campers._

"It's great to be back," Annabeth smiled, stepping in close and giving the centaur a big hug which he returned.

Once she stepped back, Chiron looked at Naruto. "The son of Artemis." he said before pausing.  
"Wow. I had never expected to utter _those_ words in conjunction in my lifetime. Anyway, you managed to survive your first quest - and a battle against Atlas himself, no less. Well done."

Naruto grinned. "Thanks. And, umm," he continued guiltily, "Sorry for deceiving you and everything. For what it's worth, it left a bad taste in my mouth."

"No hard feelings," Chiron smiled reassuringly.

"Hey, by the way, where are the Hunters?" Naruto asked.

"They're gone already," Chiron responded. "Artemis picked them up. They even beat their old record in how fast they packed up and left. Ah, yes, that reminds me. Now that Thalia is a Hunter, you are undoubtedly the child of the prophecy, Percy. Make sure to train hard."

"I will," Percy said determinedly.

"Good. Now then, there are still a few hours left until morning. I suggest you all rest. Have a good night."

With that, the conversation came to an end. They said their good nights and began walking back to their respective cabins.

"Oh, and Naruto?" Chiron called.

Naruto looked back. "Yeah?"

Chiron suddenly looked very sheepish. "I, umm, apologize for question three of my pop quiz. At the time, it seemed prudent to ask, but in retrospect... it was in very bad taste."

Naruto laughed. "No worries. Good night, Chiron."

Chiron smiled. "Good night, Naruto."

 **What question?** Kurama suddenly asked.

_Nothing. Absolutely nothing._

As he walked towards the Artemis cabin, Naruto's thoughts turned over to Nico. He really hoped Nico was alright and well. In the short time he had known him, Nico had grown on him.

Tomorrow, Naruto decided. Tomorrow he'll make sure that Hades wasn't mistreating Nico. Even if he had to storm the Underworld himself.

XxX

"Now I know you're probably scared," the god of the dead said soothingly. "But I promise you, I'm nowhere as terrible as I'm made out to be. Hell, I barely even interacted with demigods back in the old days. I did nothing to warrant my name being made into a curse word."

Nico just continued screaming.

Hades sighed. "Would you kindly cease your infernal screaming? Gods, I know souls suffering through the worst pain imaginable who don't scream as loudly as you do - no, seriously, shut up."

And suddenly, Nico shut up. He didn't make the conscious decision to. It simply happened. Hades told him to shut up, and so he shut up.

In his stunned state, Nico blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "That's _so cool!_ "

Hades blinked genially. "Pardon me?"

"You have _mind control!"_ Nico exclaimed.

"It's not exactly mind control, per se."

"Subjugation of Will then. Your card never mentioned any of this!"

Hades tilted his head. "My... _card_?"

"In Mythomagic," Nico explained enthusiastically. "Hades, the Living Shadow, the Lord of the Dead. Defense 3000, magic 5300, physical attack 4000. Full resistance to all undead. Passive: Revenge of the Shadows. If the enemy attacks first, then gain 1000 attack damage on the next attack. Ultimate Ability: At One with the Shadows. Sacrifice all actions during one turn to turn into a shadow to negate all physical and magical damage." He paused. "Wait..."

"What is it?" Hades inquired.

"If you're my dad..." Nico looked as if Christmas had come early. "Does that mean that I have access to all those abilities as well?" he asked with hope shining in his eyes.

Hades scoffed. "What? Of course not."

Nico deflated immediately.

"You'll have far more than that," Hades continued. "I don't know _who_ created my card, but clearly they didn't do a good job of it."

" _More?_ No way..." Nico breathed. "What else can I do?"

Hades smiled. "We'll get to that later. For now, let's establish some ground rules. Rule number one: you will have no contact with anyone besides your sister - "

"What?!"

"You heard me. Rule number two - "

"No!" Nico said vehemently. "You can't do that!"

"I absolutely can."

"Well, okay, technically you _can_ ," Nico conceded. "But you _shouldn't_."

"Why not?"

"Because - because I have friends!" and _dang_ it felt good to be able to finally say that. Nico couldn't help but smile at the reminder that he had finally, _finally_ made friends. "I have friends I want to talk to, and play Mythomagic with, and... other stuff," he finished lamely, having realized that no, he _didn't_ know what friends normally did with each other.

"Friends?" Hades raised an eyebrow. "Who? Naruto, the son of Artemis-?"

"Wait, the son of _who_?"

" - Perseus Jackson, the son of Poseidon? Connor and Travis Stoll, the sons of Hermes?" Hades continued. "Are they your _friends_?"

Nico nodded happily. "Yup!"

"Wrong," Hades said simply. "They _were_ your friends. Now that they know that you are my son, however... I doubt they'll want to be near you any longer."

Nico frowned heavily. "What do you mean?"

"It is a burden you must bear as my son," Hades said with a tinge of regret in his dark eyes. "Shunned. Ostracized. Feared. I am universally disliked, and I'm afraid the prejudice will spread to you as well. For what it's worth, I never intended this to happen."

"No way," Nico shook his head. "They won't do that to me."

Hades raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked doubtfully.

Nico nodded with all the unshakeable faith and conviction of a young child. "Really."

Hades gazed at him for a long moment before shrugging. "Whatever. I tried. Don't say that I didn't warn you though. Anyway, for rule num - "

"Hey, where's my mom?" Nico suddenly asked, the thought having just occurred to him.

Hades froze midword, his composure briefly slipping as a dark look entered his eyes that caused Nico to instinctively draw back in fear. "Ah. _That_. She's dead."

Nico flinched. "You couldn't have delivered that news in a harsher way? Maybe try rubbing some salt in next time?"

"Such a sassy child," Hades mused absently, the dark look still present in his eyes. "Perhaps some time in the Fields of Punishment will mellow you out a bit."

Nico instantly fell silent. Defaulting to sarcasm was his natural instinct whenever he felt pain or sadness, but apparently it wasn't the smart thing to do with his dad.

"Umm... how did she die?" he ventured. Call him morbid, but he had to know. He had to know what happened to the woman who gave birth to him, the woman who taught him Italian, the woman whose voice he can still hear sometimes in his dreams in the form of a comforting lullaby.

"How did she die?" Hades repeated in a low voice. "You want to know how she died?" His face twisted in pain. "Your mother, Maria di Angelo, was one of the kindest women I've ever met. Whenever she smiled, she would brighten up the entire room. She never said a bad thing about anyone or anything. She loved both you and Bianca dearly, more than anything else in the world."

"Did she die protecting me and Bianca from monsters?"

Instantly, Nico knew that was the wrong thing to say as a suffocating aura exploded out from his father. The room shook as the earth itself resonated with Hades's fury. "Monsters?" Hades laughed darkly. "No. No, she _died_ when our _great_ and _esteemed_ King of Olympus tried to kill you and your sister, and she was caught in the crossfire. Because of _course_ destroying an entire hotel with a lightning bolt is the most effective way in killing just two children. Damn the casualties, am I right? Though I confess, I'm not even surprised," he said with a bitter smile. "His _modus operandi_ does reflect himself, after all: loud, flashy, idiotic, and, in the end, completely _useless_ because I managed to save you two."

As Hades spoke, Nico's expression grew progressively blanker and blanker until it resembled a porcelain mask. It took him a moment to realize that he was clenching his fists tightly enough to draw blood. There was a faint ringing noise in his ears as a foreign emotion welled up within him. He didn't recognize it at first, but once he identified it, he welcomed it with open arms, letting it wash over his mind.

Hatred.

Not the dislike he had for the bullies at Westover Hall. Not the annoyance he had with the teachers. Not the irritation he had with the general student population.

Pure, unadulterated _hatred_ aimed towards the King of the Gods.

XxX

The inside of the Artemis cabin smelled like nature; the crisp morning air of a forest and the fresh scent of... Naruto sniffed the air. At least eighteen different species of trees. Wait, no, nineteen.

**I swear... You, Yamato, and Kakashi are** _**obsessed** _ **.**

And underneath the smell of nature was the distinct _girl_ smell - the lingering fragrance of perfume and soap as well as the particular scent that Naruto associated with girls. After living in Apollo's mansion for years, being in the Artemis cabin just felt... fundamentally different. Not bad, just different.

Naruto shrugged. Whatever. After taking a quick shower - needless to say, the Hunters had private showers in their cabin - he picked a random bed and collapsed, immediately falling asleep.

XxX

"Naruto," a voice murmured. "Wake up."

Naruto woke up immediately, sitting up and yawning. It took him a moment to register who had spoken. "Morning, mom," he grinned.

Artemis smiled back. "Good morning. I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep, but we need to go."

Naruto frowned. "What?"

"Zeus wishes to meet with you."

At those words, all traces of sleep vanished from Naruto's form as his eyes widened. "Wait, what? What does he want?"

"I do not know."

"Huh." Naruto shrugged. "Alright, let's go."

With a snap of her fingers, Naruto found himself in an unfamiliar room. Well, _room_ wasn't the correct word. _Palace_ was more apt. Judging by the white marble pillars and gleaming quartz floor as well as the lightning bolts crackling in the air and the distinct scent of ozone, this was Zeus's personal palace. Zeus was standing in front of them, an indecipherable expression on his face.

Outwardly, Naruto was calm. Inwardly, however...

_Yo yo yo what's happening? Why am here? What's going on?! Kurama, help!_

**You ask me as if I know the answer.**

Naruto stilled when he realized that Zeus was standing directly in front of him. Curse his height, damn it! Why did Zeus have to be so tall?

Zeus leaned down, scrutinizing him intently with unforgiving electric-blue eyes. Static electricity sparked in the air around them, crackling and arcing through invisible points in the air. The air itself smelled fresher as the King of Olympus began radiating his divine power, a heavy, commanding aura that could only be described as _powerful_.

 **Is he - Alright, he's** _ **on**_ **. Naruto, Killing Intent,** _ **now**_ **.** Kurama growled. **He thinks he can assert dominance over us?** _ **Think again, puny god.**_

_You can have your dick measuring contest later! For now, can we please try our best to avoid causing an inter-deity incident?_

"Naruto," Zeus said in a low voice, nearly a murmur. "The son of Artemis."

"Yo," Naruto said as he prepared for anything to happen. He could feel Kurama getting ready as well.

Zeus gazed at him for a long moment. Then a smile spread across his face and a twinkle appeared in his eye. "So, Artemis finally has a son. It's about time." He reached out and ruffled Naruto's hair, and Naruto was too shocked to stop him. "You've got guts, kid. It appears that silver eyes aren't the only thing you inherited from your mother."

Naruto blinked uncomprehendingly, his thoughts abruptly screeching to a halt.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Artemis doing a double take as well.

Kurama summarized the situation perfectly in just two words.

**The fuck?**

* * *

**I _had_ been wanting to write a Kakashi-in-PJO for quite some time now...**

* * *

_The first omake of this story. Not canon, obviously. Not meant to be taken seriously._

Naruto whirled around in surprise as the world _shifted_ and suddenly Kakashi was standing in front of him, exiting a crack in the world. Beyond the crack, Naruto caught sight of a kaleidoscope of colors and dimensions. The portal quickly closed up.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise. "What? How did you get here?"

"It's good to see you too," Kakashi replied with an eye-smile. "And as to how I got here... well, a certain Wizard helped me out."

Naruto's eyes widened. "A Wizard? With real magic?! Whoa." he paused. "Why would he help _you_?"

Kakashi shrugged. "To be honest, I don't even know. He just said something about interdimensional trolls having to stick together, and that he loved what I did to something called the CCG..." he shook his head. "That doesn't matter, however. What _does_ matter is something that you said."

Naruto tilted his head confusedly.

"' _I'm talking about Kakashi-sensei-level bullshit - no. To make this work, we'll have to_ surpass _Kakashi-sensei._ '" Kakashi quoted.

Naruto frowned. "That didn't happen."

"It didn't," Kakashi agreed, "But in another timeline, it did."

"I... don't know what you just said."

"That's fine, I didn't expect you to. However, here is my response." Kakashi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened them again and spoke.

"Surpassing _me_?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "Bitch, _please_. If you think that you can somehow manage to surpass my level of bullshit, then you're high." He eye-smiled. "Let me show you how it's supposed to be done."

XxX

_Presenting an AU in which instead of Naruto getting sent to the PJO verse, it was Kakashi._ _Heavens help them all._

"Let the annual Council meeting begin - hey, where's Kakashi?" Zeus frowned.

"I don't know," Apollo said with a frown. His eyes glowed golden briefly before his frown deepened. "I... I actually can't find him. At all."

The gods frowned at that.

"Let's wait until he gets here," Athena suggested.

The gods nodded.

XxX

_Three hours later._

Kakashi strolled into the throne room with a slight slouch, his hands in his pockets. "Hello!" he greeted with a two-fingered salute.

Thunder boomed overhead.

" _You're late,_ " Zeus growled.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "Maa, sorry I'm late! I got lost on the road of life, and while on the road, a black cat crossed my path so I had to turn back around, and then I saw a grandmother crossing the road, so I had to help her out."

"... is that all?" Zeus asked.

"Nope!" Kakashi answered cheerfully. "And then after _that_ , I turned around again and I saw the black cat again. But it wasn't moving. On closer inspection, I realized that its metabolic processes were history."

Apollo grinned. " _Nice."_

"What do you mean by that?" Demeter asked obliviously.

Kakashi and Apollo both stared at her.

"Uncultured," Kakashi said, shaking his head.

"Indeed," Apollo agreed.

"And since the black cat was dead, I was able to forge on once more. And finally, I reached Olympus."

Kakashi eye-smiled. "And that's why I'm late."

Zeus's eye twitched.

XxX

"... and so, the Council of the Gods _demands_ you to reveal what chakra is," Zeus commanded.

Silence.

"Kakashi?" Hermes spoke up in concern when the shinobi didn't respond.

Still no response.

"Kakashi!" Zeus boomed.

Kakashi looked at him, a bored expression on his face. "I'm sorry, did you just say something?"

Zeus trembled in barely suppressed rage.

XxX

"Maa, so you wish to know what chakra is?" Kakashi swept his gaze across the throne room, the gods leaning forward in anticipation. "Very well. I shall tell you."

"Finally," Athena muttered.

"The reason why you have never heard of chakra before is because Chaos himself erased all records of its existence," Kakashi said.

Zeus's eyes widened as the gods shifted uncomfortably. "C-Chaos? What does he have to do with anything?"

Kakashi smirked. "Everything. For you see... I am not of the Greek Pantheon."

"Impossible," Athena replied instantly. "We are the only gods in existence."

"Maa, it's cute how you think that," Kakashi chuckled. "Indeed, currently only the Greek pantheon of gods exist in this world. But it wasn't like that eons ago. Long before the Olympians, long before even the Titans, a single god of immense power co-existed alongside the primordial gods - Tartarus, Ouranos, Gaea, Chaos. However..." he shrugged. "They didn't get along, needless to say. And in the end, my pantheon decided to leave.

"Leave?" Artemis asked. "To where?"

"Below Ouranos is Gaea. Below Gaea is Tartarus. Below Tartarus is Chaos." Kakashi grinned. "And what is below Chaos?"

"Nothing," Athena answered.

Kakashi chuckled again. "Wrong. Below Chaos is the realm of the Sasukeisworsethantrashthelittlefucker, my homeland. My pantheon left and didn't look back. And since then, we have had no contact with any of you."

Zeus narrowed his eyes. "Do you seriously expect me to believe such an outlandish tale?"

Kakashi's eyes flickered. "Do you doubt me? Do you have a better explanation as to where chakra came from?"

Zeus hesitated. "No, but - "

"Then there you have it," Kakashi announced with a finality.

"What pantheon were you a part of?" Athena inquired.

Kakashi paused. "You realize that you all are only known as the 'Greek' pantheon because you guys lived in Greece and the general Mediterranean area, right? My pantheon existed before any landmasses on Gaea could even be _named."_

"I'm aware of that, but you must call yourselves _something_ , correct?"

Kakashi tilted his head. "Fair enough. Our pantheon's name is Danzosucks. It's a monotheistic pantheon, with only a single deity in it."

"Who?" Zeus demanded.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "The Holy Log, of course."

"The what." Zeus said blankly.

"And you all must be curious as to why, three years ago, I crossed over into this world once more," Kakashi continued. "The reason is simple. For you see, I am the Holy Log Pope. And I was sent here to spread the message and hope of the Holy Log."

A silence descended upon the room.

"And that's what chakra is," Kakashi finished with a shit-eating grin underneath his mask.

"I... see," Athena said uncomprehendingly. "Thank you. Umm... it's time to debate on whether or not to blast him."

Artemis's hands shot up. "What are your opinions of trees and forests?" she asked, her silver eyes focusing intently on him.

"They're the greatest thing in the world," Kakashi replied without missing a beat.

"I vouch for him," Artemis immediately said.

"Now hold on a minute," Ares began angrily -

And so the Great Debate began. Centuries later, minor gods and demigods would speak of this event only in whispers, their voices filled with awe and fear. The argument had practically torn the world apart as the elements itself battled against each other.

Kakashi watched the gods argue amongst themselves with great amusement. Ah, well. Looks like they had forgotten about him.

He reached into his kunai pouch, pulled out a familiar orange book, and began to read...

XxX

Unsurprisingly, Athena noticed him first. "Are you _reading_ while the Council is talking?" she asked incredulously.

Kakashi glanced up. "Of course!" he beamed.

"What could possibly be so important that you would read it in front of the Olympians?" Zeus demanded.

"I had just reached the part where..." Kakashi glanced over at Percy, Bianca, Zoe, and Thalia. "Well, let's just say that it was a _really_ good part, and I wanted to find out what's next."

"What is that book?" Hermes asked.

"Pure art," Kakashi answered.

"It's... it's porn," Aphrodite breathed in awe. "You're reading _porn_ during a Council meeting."

"What? Is your domain malfunctioning?" Athena frowned at Aphrodite. "There's no way he's actually reading porn - "

"Nah, she's totally right," Kakashi eye-smiled. "It's erotica literature."

Silence.

"Blast him?" Zeus suggested.

"Blast him," came the voices of agreement of everyone, even Artemis, who was looking at him disdainfully.

Kakashi simply chuckled as he lifted his headband before both his eyes morphed into Mangekyou Sharingans - he only kept his eye covered as a tribute to Obito.

"Bring it," Kakashi smirked. "It's been a while since I've gone all-out."

The battle that took place that day was one straight out of a legend.

XxX

"What the fuck." Naruto said blankly.

Kakashi smirked. "Exactly."

"It... it appears I still have a lot to learn," Naruto looked at Kakashi in awe. "Teach me, sensei, in the art of bullshit."

"With pleasure."

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Percy Jackson
> 
> Naruto Uzumaki in the PJO world as the son of Artemis. The possibilities are endless with this.
> 
> I'm only going to go off the first 5 books, from Lightning Thief to Last Olympian. There might be elements from Hero of Olympus, but I am disregarding everything in the Oracle series.
> 
> Needless to say, this is an AU.
> 
> This was also posted over on FFN.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
